The right leasing finance company. Sounds like a simple choice, right? But the reality is that when it comes to selecting the right capital and operating lease solutions for your firm can you really say you feel 100% prepared.

Abe Maslow was a famous U.S. professor, widely published and studied. He once wrote ‘ when the only tool you have is a hammer every problem resembles a nail’! No pun intended, but talk about hitting it on the head ! Most Canadian business owners and financial managers know they need a finance solution ; they know lease finance works, but quite often are very unclear on some basic selection criteria you need to have under your business belt when it comes to signing on the dotted line.

There are several major categories of leases and one, probably not all, is the right one for any particular equipment financing you enters into. When you win at the asset finance game you no doubt have one step on your competition. So it’s a question of knowing which benefits might accrue most logically to your firm.

Unlike the U.S. where things are a bit more complex, the leasing finance company in Canada has two major products, the lease to own solution, aka ‘ capital ‘, and the lease to use option, aka ‘ operating ‘. The operating lease is also often referred to as a fair market value lease or ‘true lease’ , and we hasten to add the capital lease is also known as a finance lease .

Each of these two products exists to serve some basic needs of your company. A key point that is often overlooked by the lessee is the fact that either of these two leases can in effect be ‘ bundled ‘ to include other of your supplier’s deliverables, including shipping, installation, warranty, maintenance, etc.

Although an operating lease could in fact include a bundled component more logically that is undertaken for clients who wish the lease to use, or capital lease option. In an operating lease these items would be fully priced out, and would probably increase the total ‘ all in ‘ rate you are paying.

The world of operating leases is diminishing a bit with the inception of new standardized accounting rules that are coming into effect on a global basis. Although many of the benefits of leasing in general come together in both capital and operating leases the whole operating lease scenario becomes a bit more of an accounting exercise .

In an operating lease there is no interest per se – that might seem confusing to many. But the lease is structured as a payment only scenario, with your choices, or obligations being the ability to return, upgrde, or purchase at the end of term fair market value.

You will not always see, or get clear explanations from a leasing finance company on the type of lease, capital or operating, that you are entering into .That because the Canadian marketplace has lessors with either small, mid, or large ticket focuses. It’s up to you to know who is offering what, what they are calling it, and if things are as they appear and promised.

Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian equipment financing advisor who can assist you in separating the promise and the deliverable for your firms benefit.