West Virginia Code 46B-3-8 – Prohibitions for rent-to-own transactions
No dealer may:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 46B-3-8
- Consumer: means a natural person who acquires, or seeks to acquire, the right to possession and use of consumer goods from a dealer. See West Virginia Code 46B-1-5
- Damage waiver: means the voiding or disregard by the dealer of any obligation on the part of the consumer to pay the value of the consumer goods or to make payments pursuant to a rent-to-own agreement in the event of loss or damage to the consumer goods in excess of normal wear and tear or the insurance of the value of the consumer goods or of payments pursuant to the rent-to-own agreement in the event of loss or damage to the consumer goods in excess of normal wear and tear. See West Virginia Code 46B-1-5
- goods: means goods intended to be used primarily for personal, family or household purposes. See West Virginia Code 46B-1-5
- Ownership: means the right to enjoy, possess and use consumer goods to the exclusion of other persons, including the right to transfer legal title to such consumer goods or to otherwise control, handle or dispose of such consumer goods, whether or not indicia of such ownership is established by, or otherwise required to be evidenced by, a title-paper, letter, receipt or other document or instrument. See West Virginia Code 46B-1-5
- Rent-to-own agreement: means a rental agreement which:
(i) Transfers the right to possession and use of the rental property from the dealer to the consumer. See West Virginia Code 46B-1-5
- rental period: means a week, a month or another specific length of time set forth in a rent-to-own agreement, during which such period the consumer has a right to continue possessing and using consumer goods, after having made the periodic rental payment for such period. See West Virginia Code 46B-1-5
- Written agreement: means a written document containing or evidencing the terms of a rent-to-own transaction, reduced to a tangible and legible form by printing, typewriting, computer print-out or any other intentional reduction. See West Virginia Code 46B-1-5
(1) Require any initial payment in any transaction except the payment for the first rental period, deposit fee, taxes, insurance or delivery fees and other disclosed fees or fees authorized by this chapter;
(2) Charge any fee at the time ownership of the consumer goods passes to the consumer, other than an applicable fee, if any, which actually is or will be paid to public officials for perfecting title or ownership in the consumer;
(3) Raise the amount of any payment or charge after the execution of the written agreement without both parties voluntarily entering into a second written agreement;
(4) Take any action to collect a payment which is prohibited by this chapter;
(5) Accept any cosigner other than a person who is in the household of the consumer and who is expected to use the consumer goods;
(6) Take any security interest in any property owned by the consumer;
(7) Require a damage waiver, insurance or form of insurance, insuring the consumer goods against loss or damage, unless the dealer requires such insurance for all goods of comparable type and value in every rent-to-own agreement;
(8) Require damage waiver from a particular insurer;
(9) Seek to collect any charge not authorized by this chapter and disclosed in a written agreement; or
(10) Have an initial period which is more than one week longer than any other rental period.