What your leasing company thinks of a takeover
Two companies agreeing on a car have nothing yet. The leasing company owns that car and is a party to that contract, and without its signature nothing changes. This page explains how that approval works — because no leasing company explains it publicly.
What the law says
Since 1 January 2023, the transfer of a contract is expressly set out in the Belgian Civil Code, in article 5.193. Before that the concept existed but was regulated nowhere.
The core of it is this: you can transfer your position in a contract to someone else, but you are only released from it once the other party consents. If it does not consent, the transfer remains imperfect and you stay jointly and severally liable alongside the party taking over.
For a lease takeover that means the following. If you agree something between yourselves without your leasing company, the other business may well be driving the car, but you remain liable for the monthly payments. If they do not pay, the leasing company comes to you. That is not theory, it is the statutory rule.
That rule is supplementary law: a contract may deviate from it. And lease contracts almost always do.
What your lease contract says, and why it wins
The general terms of the large leasing companies usually state that the customer may not transfer their rights and obligations to a third party. At Ayvens that clause is in the general terms; at Arval it states that transfer to a third party is not permitted, not even in the context of a takeover of the business.
Arval expressly adds that it is authorised to cooperate with such a request but is never obliged to, may attach conditions to it, and does not have to justify a refusal.
That sounds harsher than it is. It does not mean a takeover is impossible — it means it does not happen by itself and that you have to ask. A prohibition with an exception on request is still an exception that exists.
What it does mean: never start with the car and finish with the paperwork. The written permission is not the final formality, it is the whole thing.
What the leasing company checks about the party taking over
It assesses the taking-over company the way it would assess a new customer. In practice that comes down to the company number, the annual accounts filed or a recent accounting position, and how long the company has existed.
With a recently incorporated company without annual accounts, a refusal is not unusual, or it asks for additional guarantees such as a deposit or a personal guarantee from the director.
It also looks at the car itself: the odometer reading against the contractual allowance, and its condition. A contract whose mileage allowance is already well exceeded does not change because of the transfer — that bill moves across with it.
What it costs and how long it takes
Leasing companies generally charge an administrative fee for drawing up a transfer. The amount differs per leasing company and per contract, and we deliberately name no figure here: what is accurate today for one is no longer accurate next month for another. Ask before you go further, it is one of the first questions to put.
Between the agreement of the two companies and the signature, expect a few weeks. That is not slowness but a credit assessment, and that takes what it takes.
Whatever is agreed between you about the remaining months, about a financial contribution or about the condition of the car is entirely separate. The two companies settle that between themselves.
The five questions to ask your leasing company
Call your account manager, or write to them, and ask these in this order. The answer to the first determines whether the rest still matters.
First: is a transfer of this contract to another company possible, and on what conditions? Second: which documents do you need about the taking-over company? Third: what do you charge for drawing up the transfer? Fourth: how long does the assessment take on average? Fifth: from what moment am I released from my obligations — on signature, or only on handover of the car?
That fifth question is the most important and the one most often forgotten. It determines from when you are no longer liable, and that is exactly the point article 5.193 turns on.
What leasechange does, and does not do
We are not a party to your lease contract and can neither grant nor speed up any approval. What we do is bring together two companies that would otherwise never have found each other, and explain how the rest works.
You submit the request to the leasing company yourself, because you are its customer and nobody else can do it in your place. We charge no commission for it and withhold nothing.
This page is based on the Civil Code and on the general terms the leasing companies publish themselves, and was last checked in August 2026. Conditions change: your contract and your account manager always have the final word.
Frequently asked questions
Can the leasing company simply refuse a takeover?
Yes. The general terms of the large leasing companies state that transfer to a third party is not permitted without their written agreement, and Arval expressly adds that it is never obliged to cooperate and does not have to justify a refusal. That does not make a takeover impossible, but it makes it something you request rather than announce.
What if we arrange it between ourselves, without the leasing company?
Then you stay liable. Under article 5.193 of the Civil Code you are only released once your counterparty consents; without that consent you remain jointly and severally liable alongside the party taking over. If they do not pay the monthly invoices, the leasing company turns to you. So do not do this, however well you think you know the other party.
When am I genuinely free of the contract as transferor?
At the moment the leasing company confirms the transfer in writing, and not before. Ask explicitly whether that coincides with the signature or only with the physical handover of the car — that differs per leasing company and it is precisely the period in which things go wrong.
What does a transfer cost at the leasing company?
There are generally administrative costs, but the amount differs per leasing company and per contract. We name no figure here, because a wrong figure is worse than no figure. Ask your own account manager before you go further.
Why is none of this on my leasing company's website?
Because for them it is an exception procedure and not a product. Their pages are about leasing, about servicing and about the end of a contract. That does not make the question unusual — it just means you have to ask it rather than look it up.