Instead of purchasing expensive office equipment like copiers, many businesses turn to leasing. Office equipment rental gives you the peace of mind of knowing that at the end of your lease, you can trade in your equipment for the latest and greatest.

There are three main types of providers you can turn to for office equipment rental: brokers, captive leasing companies, or independent lessors.

• Captive leasing company – A captive leasing company provides leasing to its parent company and/or dealer networks. They’re somewhat less common in the office equipment arena than in the industrial space.
• Broker – Equipment leasing brokers take your lease requests to the banks and financial services companies most likely to agree to finance your office equipment.
• Independent lessor - Banks, equipment lease specialists, and more diversified financial companies lease directly to businesses.

Often, the type of leasing provider you should turn to will depend on your situation. If you have a financial services provider that knows you and is familiar with your business, you may want to start with them. If you’re already working with an office equipment rental company, they may be able to offer valuable assistance in getting approved by a captive leasing company. And in general, if you’re not that familiar with leasing or with the product you need to lease, brokers are the best at providing multiple options and helping you get the lease you need.

Choosing the right office equipment rental provider
It’s important that you evaluate prospective lessors just as carefully as they’re evaluating you. One way to approach the decision is too look for a lessor who will act like a partner. Instead of treating you like a faceless account, they should take the time to answer your questions and help you through rough spots, instead of repossessing your equipment or bumping up your rates the first time you’re late with a payment.