Short-Term office equipment hire
Hire out printers, shredders and other office machines for events, pop-up offices and short projects, delivered to the door.
- C$2.5k-12k
- Side hustle
- From home
Estimates for a small start in Canada, not guarantees.
What it is
A small stock of office machines such as printers, copiers, projectors and shredders that you rent by the day, week or month. You deliver, set up and collect them, often from a spare room or storage space at home.
Your first three steps
- Ask a few event planners, project managers and coworking spaces which machines they struggle to find at short notice
- Buy a small starter stock of reliable, easy-to-move machines and set up a simple booking calendar and price list
- Post a simple website or online listing with clear rates and delivery area, and offer a discount to your first few bookings
Who pays
Event organizers, film and construction project offices, businesses between moves or renovations, and companies with a busy season.
How it makes money
A daily, weekly or monthly rental rate per item, plus delivery and setup fees. Bundles such as a full temporary office kit can raise the value of each booking.
Skills that help
- Organizing bookings and stock
- Driving and lifting equipment
- Basic equipment troubleshooting
- Friendly, quick communication
Watch out for
- Damage and theft risk, so consider deposits and check your insurance covers rented-out equipment
- Commercial general liability insurance
- Check whether your municipality allows storing business stock and running deliveries from a home address
- Demand can be uneven and may slow in winter or between event seasons
- Clean data from any machine between hires
- Register for GST/HST once revenue passes the small supplier threshold
Deep research report · Canada
Everything you need to start: short-term office equipment hire
Researched with live web search for Canada: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start an office equipment hire business?
Startup costs are estimated at typically around $2,500 to $12,000, depending on the size and type of your equipment stock. Damage and theft are risks, so check that your insurance covers equipment you rent out.
What should I check before running equipment hire from home?
Check whether your municipality allows storing business stock and running deliveries from a home address. Also check commercial general liability insurance, cover for rented-out equipment, deposits, cleaning data from machines between hires, and GST/HST registration.
How much revenue can short-term equipment hire make?
Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $600 to $3,000, depending on bookings and stock. The estimate assumes at least about 6 hours a week. Demand can be uneven and may slow in winter or between event seasons.
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