Rent-to-Own a Domain Name for Your Business (opens in new tab)

It can also be:

1. Lease the domain with a small cash outlay per month

2. Prove your business model

3. Make money

4. Make a balloon payment for an agreed-upon purchase price (prior to the contract signing) at the end of, say, 3 years term.

This gives the buyer a way to walk away if the business doesn't work out, but lock up the domain from others buying it out from under you in case your business is getting traction.

The way I understood is that you're not leasing the domain, you are actually buying it but you pay for it with installments over a period of time. After you've made all your payments, you own the domain.