Selling a motorhome with a lease or loan still running

The motorhome was leased, or financed with a loan, at a time when the plan was to use it every summer. Plans change. A health issue, a partner who has lost interest, grandchildren who need the money more than you need the vehicle, or simply the realisation that it spends most of the year on a storage pitch while the instalment leaves the account every month. The obvious question follows: can I sell it while the contract is still running?

You can. A lease or loan does not prevent a sale. What it does is fix the order in which things have to happen, and if that order is broken, money and time are lost. This article explains the three parts you need to understand: the settlement quote, the signed authority and the sequence of payments.

Lease or loan: who actually owns the vehicle?

Settle this first, because everything else follows from it.

With a lease, you are the registered keeper (Halter) but not the owner. The motorhome belongs to the leasing company and you pay for its use. That is why the Fahrzeugausweis normally carries a note that a change of keeper needs the leasing company's consent. Without that consent the vehicle can normally not be registered to a new keeper, whether a private buyer or a dealer.

With a loan it is usually the other way round. The vehicle is yours and the bank has lent you money. Whether the bank holds any rights over the vehicle, and whether anything is noted in the registration document, depends on your contract. Read it, or ask the bank. In both cases the sensible route is the same: the outstanding balance is cleared as part of the sale, in writing and in the right order.

The settlement quote: what the contract costs to close today

The settlement quote (Ablöseofferte) is a letter from the leasing company or bank stating the amount needed to end the contract in full on a given date. It is the foundation of the whole sale, because only with this figure do you know whether selling leaves you with money in hand or with a difference to pay.

Three things to know about it:

• It is valid for a limited period. Every instalment you pay in the meantime and every month that passes changes the figure. The expiry date is printed on the quote.
• Its contents are set by the lender: the remaining instalments, the agreed residual value, any item for ending the contract early. Read each line and ask about anything that is not clear.
• It can be requested by you, or by the buyer if you give them a signed authority to do so. Both are common.

The signed authority: what to sign and what not to

Most leasing companies only discuss a contract with the person who signed it. For a buyer to obtain the settlement quote, pay the balance and arrange the release for the change of keeper, they need a written authority (Vollmacht) from you. This is standard, and it saves you a good deal of phoning.

A well-drafted authority is specific. It names you and your address, identifies the vehicle by its Stammnummer or chassis number, quotes the lease or loan contract number, states exactly what it covers – obtaining the settlement quote, settling the contract, handling the change of keeper and the deregistration – and carries the date and your signature. What you should not sign: a blank form, an authority with no vehicle details, or one that covers "all matters". Keep a copy of what you sign.

The order of payments

With a lease in place, the money does not simply move from the buyer to you. There are three parties, and the sequence matters. This is how it runs cleanly:

1. Get the purchase offer. The buyer values the motorhome like any other: make, model, body type, mileage, year, condition. The lease has no effect on what the vehicle is worth, only on how the proceeds are split.
2. Get the settlement quote. Either yourself or through the buyer with your signed authority. You now have two figures side by side.
3. Compare them. If the purchase price is higher than the settlement, the difference is yours. If it is lower, you have to make up the shortfall so the contract can be closed. Find this out before you sign anything, not on the day of collection.
4. Put it in writing. Purchase price, settlement amount, who pays what to whom and when, the handover date. A purchase agreement that sets this out prevents most of the misunderstandings that happen later.
5. Settlement paid to the lender. The usual practice is that the buyer transfers the settlement amount directly to the leasing company or bank, not to you. That way the money goes where it closes the contract. Alternatively you pay it yourself and show the confirmation.
6. Wait for the release. The leasing company confirms receipt and releases the vehicle, usually with a letter or by lifting the note for the Strassenverkehrsamt. Without this release there is no change of keeper.
7. Handover and deregistration. Only now does the motorhome change hands: Fahrzeugausweis, plates, keys, documents. A serious buyer takes care of the deregistration at the Strassenverkehrsamt and sends you the confirmation. Ask for it.
8. Balance paid to you. Whatever remains after the settlement is transferred to you. Agree in the contract when that happens.

What to watch

• Keep paying the instalments until the leasing company has confirmed in writing that the contract is closed. A missed payment at the wrong moment delays the release.
• Do not let the vehicle go before the settlement has been paid and confirmed, or the payment route has been fixed in writing. A motorhome that has gone while the contract is still in your name is the worst position to be in.
• Ask for written confirmation that the contract is closed and keep it. It is your proof that nothing remains open.
• Do not cancel the insurance too early. You remain the keeper until the vehicle is deregistered. Cancel once you hold the deregistration confirmation.
• Watch the expiry date on the settlement quote. If it lapses, a fresh one is needed and the figure may have moved.
• Know the alternatives. Apart from selling, you can return the vehicle to the leasing company at the end of the contract or buy it out at the residual value. Which is better for you depends on the settlement, the residual value and the offer in front of you. Selling is the route when you want out now rather than at the end of the term.

What this means when you sell to us

A running lease or loan does not change our offer. The motorhome is valued on make, model, body type, year, mileage and condition, exactly like any other. With your signed authority we obtain the settlement quote from the leasing company or bank. How the settlement is paid and what remains for you is agreed with you before collection. We take care of the deregistration at the Strassenverkehrsamt, and collection is at your home, anywhere in Switzerland, at no cost.

You can reach us Monday to Sunday from 08:00 to 22:00 on 076 226 46 46, by WhatsApp on the same number, or by e-mail at kontakt@autoankaufschweizag.ch. As a rule you will have a non-binding offer within 24 hours.