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<section article="gcl" article_name="Commercial Law" number="12-1101" title_number="12" title_name="Credit Regulations" subtitle_number="11" subtitle_name="Maryland Rental-Purchase Agreement Act">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Advertisement” means a commercial message in any medium that aids, promotes, or assists, directly or indirectly, a rental–purchase agreement.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Advertisement” does not include in–store merchandising ads.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>“Cash price” means the price at which the lessor would have sold rental property covered by a rental–purchase agreement to the consumer unconditionally for cash on the date of consummation.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>“Consumer” means an individual who rents personal property under a rental–purchase agreement primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>“Consummation” means the time at which a consumer enters into a rental–purchase agreement.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>“Cost of lease services” means the difference between the final purchase price of rental property and the cash price of rental property.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>“Lessor” means a person who regularly provides the use of personal property through rental–purchase agreements to consumers and to whom rental payments are initially payable on the face of a rental–purchase agreement.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>“Rental property” means personal property that is the subject of a rental–purchase agreement.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>“Rental–purchase agreement” means an agreement that:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Is for the use of personal property by an individual primarily for personal, family, or household purposes;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Is for an initial period of 4 months or less;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Is automatically renewable for a weekly or monthly period with each rental payment after the initial period; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Allows but does not obligate the consumer to become the owner of the property.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
