What the $4 Million Acima Settlement Means for DC Consumers
July 9, 2026
Settlement Agreement Provides $3.7 Million in Restitution and Debt Relief to More than 10,000 DC Residents and Requires Acima to Improve Business Practices
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that “rent to own” company Acima Digital, LLC and Acima Holdings, LLC (collectively, Acima) will provide $4 million in monetary relief and penalties and reform its business practices to resolve an investigation into the company’s high-cost lease agreements.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleges that Acima violated the District’s consumer protection laws in several ways, including by attracting customers with misleading advertising, charging hidden markups, and obscuring parts of its lease agreements during sign-up. As a result, thousands of people signed lease agreements that often required them to pay more than double their item’s original retail price, many without fully understanding the terms they signed up for. Now, under the settlement agreement, Acima will provide $900,000 in refunds, $2.7 million in debt forgiveness, and $100,000 in account vouchers to more than 10,000 DC residents, and pay $300,000 in penalties to the District. The company will also be required to more clearly explain the costs and terms of its leases to customers moving forward, avoid misleading advertising, increase training for retail staff, and improve customer service to address common issues, like damaged merchandise, late deliveries, and a difficult return process.
“The hidden markups and buried fees in Acima’s deceptive lease agreements unfairly and illegally increased the cost of household goods for thousands of DC residents,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “Particularly at a time when Washingtonians are struggling to make ends meet, the Office of the Attorney General is putting money back in the pockets of residents who were harmed and ensuring that future customers are treated fairly.”
Acima is a “rent to own” company that partners with over 15,000 stores across the country—including numerous retailers in the District of Columbia and surrounding area—to offer “Rental Purchase Agreements” for household goods like sofas, mattresses, mobile phones, tires, and jewelry. A shopper selects the item they want from a partner store, submits an application to Acima (often through a mobile application), and Acima purchases the item and leases it back to them. Over the course of a lease term, customers typically paid the full retail price of the item, a markup added by Acima, leasing service payments, and additional fees, until the consumer finally became the owner of the item.
Acima markets its products toward financially challenged consumers with poor or no credit. The company’s agreements cost many customers more than 200% of the retail price of the items they sought to obtain. Going back to 2015, Acima has done business under many names, including Simple Finance, LLC, Simple RTO, LLC, Acima Credit, LLC, Simple Leasing, Simple Finance, and Acima Leasing.