No security deposit. No damage deposit. Ever.
No security deposit. No damage deposit. Ever.
Most event equipment suppliers demand a security deposit on top of your hire charge. They withhold several hundred pounds from your budget. They return these funds days after you send the equipment back and they complete their warehouse checks. Expo Hire takes a different approach. We never demand a security deposit for your booking.
A standard security deposit covers the supplier against broken or missing items. You pay this amount upfront before the delivery date. You wait for the money to reappear in your bank account after the event concludes. For large scale corporate events or weddings, this practice traps a large portion of your operating budget. The funds remain with the supplier for a week or more while you wait for their administrative checks.
We manage equipment risk through our built-in protection policies instead of withholding your money. You pay the standard equipment hire charge. That payment completes the transaction. We skip the deposit request at checkout. We eliminate the wait for a refund. We bypass the disputes about minor marks. We give you certainty over your event budget.
Every booking comes with a free damage waiver that covers accidental minor damage. Events involve hundreds of guests moving around tight spaces. Guests drop glasses. Staff knock chairs against walls. We expect normal wear and tear. If an item suffers severe damage beyond acceptable use, we invoice the replacement cost to you directly. We never pre-fund this risk from your bank account.
For summer weddings and Christmas parties, we operate a large order deposit scheme to secure your preferred delivery slot. You pay a percentage of the total hire charge upfront to lock the booking. This payment forms part of your total bill rather than acting as a separate security holding. The remaining balance falls due closer to your event date.
This transparent pricing model gives you complete control over your cash flow. You know the exact cost of your event before you confirm the booking. Your operating budget stays in your control rather than sitting in a supplier bank account.
Many hire firms add a second payment to your invoice before they release the stock. That extra charge often has nothing to do with your hire total. It sits on the account until the goods come back and the warehouse signs them off. Expo Hire skips that step.
| Charge | Expo Hire | Typical competitor |
|---|---|---|
| Security deposit required | No | £200 to £500 or more |
| Damage waiver fee | Free | 2% to 3% of the order value |
| Refund wait time | Not applicable | 5 to 10 days after return |
You see the full hire charge before you place the order. We do not bolt on a holding amount for dents, chips, or missing forks. Our free damage waiver covers the small accidents that happen at live events, so your payment schedule stays clear from the start.
A £3,000 equipment order can look manageable until a second payment lands on the invoice. A competitor might ask for a £750 security deposit two weeks before the event, then keep that money for another two weeks after the return while the warehouse checks the stock. That puts £750 out of reach for close to a month.
That same £750 can cover staff, flowers, fuel, or a final catering balance. With Expo Hire, the money stays in your account for the whole booking cycle. You control your own cash flow, and your finance team does not need to chase a refund after the event closes.
Large corporate jobs benefit in the same way. If you run several events in one month, repeated deposits can lock up thousands of pounds at the point you need that money for venues, labour, and transport. We keep the invoice to the hire charge and the delivery cost, then let you plan the rest of the budget around fixed numbers.
You pay for items that never come back. Our no deposit policy does not waive the replacement cost for missing stock. If a crate, chair, or glass disappears, we charge for the missing item after the return check rather than taking a holding amount before the event.
Our free damage waiver covers minor accidental damage. Major damage sits outside that waiver. If someone snaps a table frame, bends catering equipment beyond repair, or returns an item in a condition that stops us hiring it again, we charge for the repair or replacement cost.
Yes. We do not ask for a security deposit on small orders or large ones. Orders above £1,000 can qualify for our 25% booking deposit scheme, but that payment forms part of the hire bill and does not act as a security holding.
