One of the questions we are frequently asked is the types of lease  financing we provide for party tent rental companies. We provide lease financing and EFA’s or equipment financing agreements for new and used party tent rental equipment, ranging from $5K to $500K. Madison Capital also provides financing for vehicles from 1-500 units.
Another common question we are asked is the difference between a loan vs lease? In summary, a loan is the borrowing of money while a lease is a term rental agreement for the use of specific equipment. As a means of financing, loans and leases have differences. Below are some descriptions and major considerations between the two.
• Rates: With a lease, payments are generally fixed for the life of the lease unless the lease has special provisions. With a loan, rates are usually floating and based on Prime Rate or another index such as LIBOR. As the index fluctuates so does the monthly payment. This is beneficial during periods of falling interest rates, and detrimental when interest rates rise.

• Amount Financed: With a lease, you are able to finance the complete purchase including soft costs and sales tax. Out-of-pocket costs are usually limited to the first month’s investment or a small security deposit. With a loan, banks generally lend a portion (60%-80%) of the equipment cost; exclusive of soft costs such as shipping, training, installation, etc.

• Extra Costs: With a lease, 99% of small-ticket equipment leases (up to $75,000) have no origination, commitment or application fees. Documentation fees are minimal, ranging from $95 to $299 depending on the transaction size. With a loan, banks use fees to boost their rates of return on loans, including application fees, origination fees, commitment fees, schedule fees, funding fees and charged for expenses associated with approving and executing the loan application.

• Available Terms: With a lease, in most cases you choose the terms, the purchase option, and the down payment of your equipment lease. We offer 60-month terms on most equipment and up to 84 months on some asset classes. Custom terms can easily be arranged. With a loan, banks tend to be somewhat less flexible than leasing companies. That’s good if you are looking for a standard term, not so good if you need flexibility.

• Speed: With a lease, more than half of our approvals are issued the same or next day. With a loan, banks take longer to make credit decisions. It can take weeks to prepare your request and bring it to the credit committee for review.

• Collateral: With a lease, in most instances, the only collateral is the equipment being leased. With a loan, banks usually secure their loans by requiring additional collateral such as real estate, equipment, inventory, receivables or your house. In fact, it is common practice for banks to file a blanket lien against all assets of your company.

• Restrictive Covenants: Bank loans often require the borrower to maintain certain minimum financial ratios and report them to the bank on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. If the borrower fails to maintain those ratios the bank can call the loan. They can also place restrictions on or limit future borrowings from any institution. With a lease, there generally are no such restrictive covenants.
Madison Capital works with end users and vendors of party tents, chairs and related supplies and we offer support through our vendor program. More details on our vendor program, as well as, how to apply can be found here.
For more information please visit financing for party tent rentals.