I've been asked whether I'd consider leasing a domain but I suspect that the costs of having a domain lease drafted up would make it unviable. Does anyone have something that I could use, or has anyone downloaded anything decent online?
If the total amount is high enough, Escrow.com have a service where they hold the domain during the lease period to protect both parties... https://www.escrow.com/domain-name-holding
It's going to be for around £50 per month - so it's way beyond having something drafted and I suspect that even the escrow.com fees will be too high for them. I feel that leasing should be able to work at this sort of price point as long as you don't have extensive legal costs. I've seen a few examples of docs online (but since they won't show you the whole document till you pay, difficult to know if it will be suitable).
Ah, ok. Yes, Escrow.com is for a different order of magnitude. You’re right that it may be possible to make it work at £50/month, so long as the party leasing the domain doesn’t mess you around. If you have to chase them for late payments every few weeks that might eat into your profit significantly, especially when thinking about it on an hourly basis.
It sounds like a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Why not write your own agreement? If the lessee breaches the terms, it ends and you keep the domain. An agreement that covers all eventualities (for £50 per month) will probably be so one-sided that it is not viable anyway. I completed several successful arrangements like this.