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It’s a relatively new trend that we lease and rent a lot more of our ‘possessions’ than in the past and this has become more and more the case with the rise of the internet, it is so much easier to deliver media through online streaming etc but it’s also a move to non-ownership in the physical world too.

Let’s take a few examples of the types of things we generally purchase a lease agreement for that we would have simply owned in the past.

Media & Music

Media & music are classic examples of something that we used to own, only a decade ago it was most common to have a collection of CDs, records and DVDs and even bulging book-shelves. But these days streaming is all the rage, with services such as Netflix, Spotify and Amazon Kindle we don’t actually own any of these pieces of music, films and TV shows or even books, we are simply buying a time-limited licence for the rights to view, listen to or read the content and this can expire or even be lost if the service provider goes out of business, such as Microsoft’s decision to pull the plug on it’s eBook service recently. There has been some limited reverse of this with the recent vinyl records revival, although this has got more to do with retro kitsch than concern over licensing rights.

Vehicles

If we move away from the world of digital media for a minute and into the real and physical world we can take the example of the switch from car ownership to car leasing as a phenomenon and although it has been surprising to some how common it has become that we have lots of examples of how car leasing has become normal. It can save a lot of hassle as you can get servicing and repairs included in some leases and you can save a huge amount on your monthly payments and on upfront purchase costs and you can get to choose a new car every couple of years if you like. It’s a good idea to check out the best car lease deals with a knowledgeable firm who can guide you to what sort of deal will work best with what you’re after.

Software

Even software is increasingly a subscription-based experience, there was a time when you would purchase a box with a pile of discs and that would be your copy of the software to keep for as long as you needed it. But now even with something as commonplace as Microsoft Office you are now paying a monthly or annual subscription which gives the software company a longer term financial gain and also eliminates piracy as much.

Even Clothing

There was a time when the idea of renting clothes was confined to just fancy dress and parties or formal-wear but it has become a real thing to rent clothing which may sound bizarre but also if you have expensive tastes and wish to change your wardrobe as often as you like then it actually makes some sense. But for many of us it could be a step too far and having your own clothes that you know only you have worn is preferable.

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