There’s a lot to think about when you’re setting up an office space: making sure it’s on-brand, flexible to your needs and also within budget. On top of that, you also have to weigh up the pros and cons of renting versus buying office furniture. There’s no one ‘right’ option, and it all comes down to your business goals and where you’re at in your growth journey. This guide will help you learn which may be the better option for you at this time.
Understanding Your Office Furniture Options
You have a few options for how you furnish your office, depending on how permanent your office is, your growth and needs, including:
- Renting, where you have an ongoing term without ever owning. Agile teams, businesses with unpredictable growth and businesses without a permanent office typically benefit best from this.
- Lease-to-own refers to a term with set payments over a fixed time, where you don't own the furniture until the last payment. This gives you access to high-quality furniture while spreading out the cost.
- Outright purchasing is where you buy your office furniture upfront, and it’s yours from day one. It typically works best for businesses with long leases, stable headcounts and clear growth direction.
The Pros and Cons of Renting Office Furniture
Renting office furniture has heaps of perks. It gives you a lot of flexibility if you need to move, expand or downsize, and is also low maintenance as you don’t have the upfront cost of replacing furniture every few years. There’s also a lower cost than purchasing all your furniture in one go.
The downside of renting office furniture is that you do have those recurring costs, and you don’t own the furniture. With our commercial furniture leasing applications at Valiant Interiors, we find the pros far outweigh the cons, especially for businesses that need to scale quickly without high furniture costs to support that growth.
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Lease-to-Own: The Flexible Path to Ownership
If you want to balance owning beautiful office desks, chairs and other furnishings while supporting your cash flow, lease-to-own furniture arrangements give you the ultimate flexibility. Startups and businesses with CFO-managed budgets particularly love lease-to-own, as it’s easy to stay within budget, and even though it’s a fixed, recurring cost, you get to design your dream office.
For a business experiencing fast growth, lease-to-own also lets you be able to hire as you need without worrying about a huge upfront furnishing cost. You get to spread the cost out and keep everyone happy at the same time.
Buying Office Furniture Outright: Long-Term Control, Higher Commitment
Owning your office furniture outright gives you full control over the look and quality of your office, especially if you utilise an interior own-outright package . You also own your furniture, so you maintain asset retention. Plus, there’s the stability of no monthly fees, hand-back conditions or contract terms you need to meet.
Of course, furniture is a depreciating asset, so if you ever end up selling your furniture, you may not get the same value as you originally paid. There’s also the lack of flexibility if you need to scale up or down, or if you want to upgrade your furniture. But the stability and control may outweigh those downsides for you.
Sustainability and Circular Design in Furniture Decisions
Choosing to hire or lease office furniture is a more sustainable way to set up your office. It keeps furniture in circulation longer, cutting down on waste and limiting what ends up in landfill. This approach aligns with our own focus on circular design at Valiant, where materials stay in play through responsible refurbishment and thoughtful product stewardship. Hiring or leasing your office furniture helps you fit out your dream office while lowering your environmental footprint.
How to Choose the Right Option for Your Business
At the end of the day, whether you rent for flexibility, lease for balance, or buy your office furniture for performance, all that matters is finding the right option that works for your business. Valiant can help you find the best furniture fitout option for your business with tailored workspace solutions. Contact us today to get started.
