IP leasing lets you use address space on a monthly invoice with an LOA, without owning the block. Buying IPv4 is a formal transfer at the RIR, with due diligence and a longer wait. Lease when you need usable space quickly. Buy when your organization must hold the asset on its own books for years.
What a lease actually gives you
A lease gives you permission to use the space for as long as you keep paying. It does not transfer the asset. The LOA authorizes you to announce the prefix and has an expiry tied to the service. When billing stops, that permission ends. We remain the holder at the RIR. You typically receive an LOA, end-user listing in WHOIS or RDAP, rDNS, IRR objects, RPKI coverage, and geolocation updates. You can announce on your own ASN, or we can announce the space with a VPS or dedicated server. Those are separate setups, so say which path you need when you open a ticket.
If you plan to send mail, ask about the block’s history first. Clean space and previously abused space behave very differently on blocklists. We will share what we know before you commit. If you only need a few addresses on a VPS, check your plan first. Our smallest VPS already includes two IPv4 addresses.
Common mix-ups that cost time
The frequent mistake is treating a lease like a completed transfer. Customers then try to move the prefix to another ASN, another facility, or a LOA they wrote themselves. We still hold the object at the RIR. ROAs and WHOIS only change when both sides intend that change. On cancel, control returns to us. If you already need the numbers listed as your asset, start a purchase instead of a lease. Do not begin a lease hoping it will turn into a transfer later. If you need the same size of space next month in another place, order a new lease there. You cannot keep the same numbers after the lease ends.
An LOA without a matching ROA can leave the route dropped by some networks. A ROA without an LOA is not how we assign space. Arrange both, then verify with a looking glass before you depend on the path. Decide lease or buy before you announce. The rest of the internet cannot see your invoice, but it can see conflicting origins. Be clear on size, whose ASN will originate the route, and whether mail is involved. IP leasing is the right product when you need space on a short timeline. A purchase is the path when long-term registration under your organization is the goal.
How to choose for your case
Choose a lease when Tuesday is the constraint and monthly flexibility is enough. Choose a purchase when policy, accounting, or multi-year control requires you to be the registrant. Both options are normal in day-to-day networking. Mixing them up is what creates expensive cleanup. If you need a /24 this week, start with a lease. If the organization must own the registration for years, start the buy process instead.
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