Rent–Try–Buy

Flexible, 12-month rental agreement

Upgrade or buy the equipment at any time

If you buy, get back 50% of your gross rental payments  

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Get approval for up to $65,000
of equipment funding in under 5 minutes
If you need more than $65K, please contact us | No obligation to use approved finance

A flexible funding solution that lets you try out hospitality equipment before you purchase it

WITH SO MUCH commercial kitchen equipment on offer, making the correct choice can be complicated. And what if the equipment you get can’t keep up with demand or your business alters course and needs different equipment?

No one wants to pay a wad of cash or get tied down by a long-term lease for equipment that proves to be ill-suited.

SilverChef Rent–Try–Buy fixes this problem by enabling you to try out the equipment before deciding whether to purchase it. 

May suit you if you’re…

  • A new or established business
  • After $1,000 or more of equipment funding
  • Looking to try the equipment before deciding whether to buy it, including items you’re not sure about or think you might quickly outgrow.   

Key features

  • Flexible, 12-month rental agreement
  • Manageable, weekly rental payments
  • Upgrade or buy the equipment at any time
  • If you buy, get back 50% of your gross rental payments — to put towards the purchase price
  • Continue renting or return the equipment after 12 months
  • Rental payments are 100% tax deductible.*

How Rent–Try–Buy works

01

We get the equipment for you

You pick the hospitality equipment you want and, after accepting your finance application, we buy the equipment for you.

02

You rent it from us

You rent the equipment from us for manageable, weekly payments under a flexible, 12-month Rent–Try–Buy agreement.

03

You choose from numerous options

You can upgrade or buy the equipment at any time or, after one year, continue renting it or return it to us — whatever best meets your needs.

01

We get the equipment for you

You pick the hospitality equipment you want and, after accepting your finance application, we buy the equipment for you.

02

You rent it from us

You rent the equipment from us for manageable, weekly payments under a flexible, 12-month Rent–Try–Buy agreement.

03

You choose from numerous options

You can upgrade or buy the equipment at any time or, after one year, continue renting it or return it to us — whatever best meets your needs.

MID-TERM OPTIONS

At any time during the 12-month rental agreement you can…

Upgrade the equipment

If your business gets bigger or alters course and the rental equipment no longer fits the bill, you can upgrade it.

You can upgrade it to the same or a different type of equipment — on condition it’s standard hospitality equipment of the same or a higher value than the original equipment. 

You’ll need to give the original equipment back to us and sign a fresh 12-month rental agreement for the upgraded equipment. 

The new agreement will entitle you to all the options you had under the original agreement.

Customers are responsible for transporting the original equipment back to us and the cost for us to clean and service the equipment so it can be certified and remarketed.

Enquire now

Buy the equipment

If after using the rental equipment you decide it’s ideal for your business, and you have the money, you can buy the equipment at any time.

We’ll rebate 50% of the gross rent you’ve already paid us, which you can put towards the purchase price.

You won’t incur an early repayment fee.

You’ll just need to let us know four weeks out that you’re going to buy the equipment.  

Enquire now

END-OF-TERM OPTIONS

At the end of 12-month rental agreement you can…

Upgrade the equipment

If your business gets bigger or alters course and the rental equipment  no longer fits the bill, you can upgrade it.

You can upgrade it to the same or a different type of equipment — on condition it’s standard hospitality equipment of the same or a higher value than the original equipment. 

You’ll need to give the original equipment back to us and sign a fresh 12-month rental agreement for the upgraded equipment. 

The new agreement will entitle you to all the options you had under the original agreement.

Customers are responsible for transporting the original equipment back to us and the cost for us to clean and service the equipment so it can be certified and remarketed.

Enquire now

Buy the equipment

If after using the rental equipment you decide it’s ideal for your business, and you have the money, you can buy the equipment at any time.

We’ll rebate 50% of the gross rent you’ve already paid us, which you can put towards the purchase price.

You won’t incur an early repayment fee.

You’ll just need to let us know four weeks out that you’re going to buy the equipment. 

Enquire now

Continue renting the equipment

If after using the equipment you wish to keep your options open or evaluate your equipment needs at a later time, you can continue renting the equipment month-to-month for an indefinite period (the equipment’s purchase price will continue to gradually fall).

Your rental payments are 100% tax deductible.*

If you continue to rent, you’ll still be able to:

  • upgrade the equipment at any time
  • buy the equipment at any time
  • return the equipment at any time

If you buy the equipment, we’ll rebate 50% of your first year’s gross rental payments and 25% of all your later payments — to put towards the purchase price. 

You’ll just need to let us know four weeks out that you’re going to buy the equipment.  

Enquire now

Return the equipment

If your financial position has changed or the equipment no longer meets the demands of your business (and you don’t want to upgrade it), you can return it after 12 months.

You’ll just need to let us know four weeks out that you’re going to return the equipment.

At the end of the four-week notice period, we’ll post you a letter detailing how to send the equipment back to us. 

You’ll need to transport the equipment back to us and cover the cost for us to clean and service the equipment so it can be certified and remarketed.

The cleaning and servicing costs will be taken from your security bond; the leftover amount will be refunded to you.

Enquire now

Watch how it works

Benefits of Rent–Try–Buy

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Incomparable flexibility

Adapts to the changing needs of your business by enabling you to try the equipment before deciding whether to upgrade it, buy it, continue renting it, or return it.

Flexibility beyond comparison with any other financier, cash or credit card. 

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50% gross rental rebate

If you’re satisfied with the rental equipment, you can purchase it at any time.

If you buy it within 12 months, we’ll rebate 50% of the gross rent you’ve already paid us — to put towards the purchase price.

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Greater cash flow

Rent–Try–Buy’s manageable, weekly rental payments allow your business to get the equipment it needs while preserving its cash flow.

Instead of purchasing the equipment outright and depleting your working capital, you pay for it in more reasonable  amounts with the money it helps you make.

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Income-tax deductions

You can reduce your business’s taxable income by claiming your equipment-rental payments as deductions. 

This saves you 25 cents in every dollar of rent you pay.*

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Borrowing capacity unaffected

Your equipment rental payments do not appear on your business’s balance sheet. 

Because these payments are ‘off balance sheet’, your business’s ability to borrow money from other lenders is unaffected (as are any existing loan covenants you have with other lenders).

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No personal guarantees

In most cases, customers can get less than $100,000 of funding without having to provide a director’s guarantee. The rental equipment is all the collateral we require. 

So, if your financial position changes and/or the equipment no longer satisfies your needs, you simply send it back to us. 

What our customers say

SilverChef has made it possible for us to expand our business … without the huge stress of having to put all our cash into purchasing brand-new equipment.

[I like the fact] SilverChef is focused on kitchen equipment financing. Their finance terms, options, and flexibility are very competitive compared to other financiers.

This was so much easier than dealing with the bank. SilverChef has been so helpful and efficient!

As this is my first hospitality-industry experience, money was a big problem, but with SilverChef I could get all the equipment I dreamed of without any hassle. It doesn’t matter how big you are in hospitality — SilverChef is there for everyone.

SilverChef has been a great tool for us. It has allowed our kitchen to upscale equipment to meet growing demand without having to spend time reselling what we don’t need.

Thanks to SilverChef, we replaced three cooking appliances with a MerryChef and can now present much better food. We couldn't have done it without SilverChef.

It was an easy application process and I prefer using used equipment instead of buying new. This is not only cheaper, but also more sustainable. 

SilverChef has allowed me to access the equipment I needed to scale up my business and increase my supply. 

SilverChef has provided a seamless financing option to help us create our new retail space.

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GET FINANCE BEFORE OR AFTER YOU’VE CHOSEN YOUR EQUIPMENT

Our equipment-finance process

Find out what happens from the instant you choose your equipment or apply for finance until the equipment is delivered to your business premises.

Equipment before finance


People tend to select the equipment they want before thinking about how to pay for it. If you’re one of them, not a problem!

Show process Hide process

1. Shop for equipment

Drop into an accredited dealer’s showroom or visit their website (new equipment) or the SilverChef website (‘Certified Used’ equipment) to pick the hospitality equipment you want.

2. Apply for finance

You can choose one of three ways to apply:

  • in the dealer’s showroom or on their website 
  • on the SilverChef website
  • by calling us on 0800 453 010.

3. Sign agreement

After your application is approved, we’ll request that you electronically sign and send back the Rent–Try–Buy agreement and pay the initial expenses (you first week’s rent and a refundable security bond).

4. Take delivery

We’ll purchase the equipment you’ve chosen and either the dealer (new equipment) or SilverChef (‘Certified Used’ equipment) will deliver it to your door. You’ll then begin making your weekly rental payments.

Finance before equipment


We’re willing to approve your finance before you go equipment shopping, so you have a clear understanding of your budget.

Show process Hide process

1. Apply for finance

You can choose one of three ways to apply:

  • in the dealer’s showroom or on their website 
  • on the SilverChef website
  • by calling us on 0800 453 010.

2. Sign agreement

After your application is approved, we’ll request that you electronically sign and send back the Rent–Try–Buy agreement and pay the initial expenses (your first week’s rent and a refundable security bond).

3. Shop for equipment

Drop into an accredited dealer’s showroom or visit their website (new equipment) or the SilverChef website (‘Certified Used’ equipment) to pick the hospitality equipment you want.

4. Take delivery

We’ll purchase the equipment you’ve chosen and either the dealer (new equipment) or SilverChef (‘Certified Used’ equipment) will deliver it to your door. You’ll then begin making your weekly rental payments.

GET CASH OUT OF YOUR EQUIPMENT…AND INTO YOUR BUSINESS

Buy Back

Did you recently buy commercial kitchen equipment and are now facing cash-flow difficulties in your business? If so, Buy Back might be the answer you’re seeking.

It can help relieve your cash-flow pressures by providing you with access to capital from an unseen source: The cash locked up in your equipment.

Read more

Frequently asked questions

What is your interest rate?

Because Rent–Try–Buy is a rental agreement, interest rates don’t apply. 

Nevertheless, you can use our online rental calculator to confirm your weekly rental payments and how much it would cost to own the rental equipment if you opted to buy it after 12 months.  

As the calculator divulges, the net cost of owning the equipment might be as low as 10% (after allowing for tax deductions* and the rental rebate).

This figure reflects:

  • the unequalled flexibility our customers receive and which no other financier, cash or credit card can provide. 
  • the risks we accept by, for example, letting customers:
    • acquire the equipment they want without having to commit to the entire purchase price
    • get up to $100,000 of equipment finance — normally without providing a director’s guarantee / personal guarantee 
    • upgrade the equipment at any time without having to work out how to get rid of the original item
    • return the equipment to us after only 12 months without penalty.

Are there any other fees or charges?

In addition to the weekly rental payments (including one week’s rent paid in advance), the fees and charges that apply are:

  • a refundable security bond — paid up front and equivalent to six weeks’ rent (equipment valued at less than $200,000) or 12 weeks’ rent (equipment valued at $200,000 or more)
  • equipment transport cost, if the customer returns the equipment to us during or after the 12-month rental period. This cost — which varies according to the equipment’s cubic weight and the distance it has to be transported — is paid directly by the customer.
  • the cost of cleaning and servicing the equipment so it can be certified and remarketed, if the customer returns it to us during or after the 12-month rental period. We pass this cost — which varies according to the type of equipment and its condition — on to the customer.

When do I start paying rent?

Your rental payments will begin after we’ve received word the equipment has been delivered to your door. 

If you’re planning a full fit-out or refurbishment and expect delays due to council or construction issues, we recommend you delay ordering the equipment until just before your venue is ready to open.

(Delivery of equipment in stock typically takes 1–8 business days, depending on your location. Out-of-stock items have a longer lead time, so it’s best to order them earlier; your equipment dealer will be able to advise you.)

If your rental payments begin before your business is up and running, please contact us as soon as possible. 

When the Rent–Try–Buy agreement expires, will I automatically own the equipment?

No — while your rental payments will progressively decrease the equipment’s purchase price, there will still be a shortfall after 12 months.

To confirm how much money you’d need to find to buy your rental equipment, please call us for a payout quote on 0800 453 010.

You can buy the equipment whenever you want during the 12-month term (not only at the end of it). 

What does buying the equipment involve?

If after testing the rental equipment you conclude it’s perfect for your needs and want to buy it, you’ll need to tell us four weeks ahead of time of your plan to purchase it.

When the notice period ends, we’ll send you a: 

  • payout quote (detailing how the payout amount has been calculated)
  • payment authorisation form to complete. 

If you buy the equipment, you’ll get back 50% of your first year’s gross rental payments and 25% of any subsequent payments — to put towards the equipment’s purchase price.

What’s the difference between Rent–Try–Buy and Rent-to-Own?

While they have similarities, there’s a key difference between rent try buy commercial kitchen equipment and rent to own commercial kitchen equipment. 

Rent–Try–Buy (which is exclusive to SilverChef) and Rent-to-Own (offered by other companies) both allow renters to build equity in the equipment by making rental payments. 

However, whereas the renter automatically owns the equipment at the end of the Rent-to-Own agreement (which usually ranges from one to five years), they don’t at the end of the one-year Rent–Try–Buy agreement (i.e. there is still money owing on the equipment). 

Instead, Rent–Try–Buy customers can buy the equipment whenever they want to. If they buy it, they get back 50% of their first year’s gross rental payments and 25% of any subsequent payments — to put towards the purchase price. 

Still have unanswered questions? See all our FAQs


* The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) allows most expenses involved in running a business to be claimed as tax deduction. These expenses must relate directly to income earned and be used for a commercial (not personal) purpose. They include operating expenses (e.g. rental payments) and capital expenses (e.g. depreciating equipment). This advice is general in nature and does not consider your particular circumstances. You should seek professional advice tailored to your personal situation.

Not what you want?

If you’re sure which commercial kitchen equipment you need or it’s a substantial investment and you’d prefer to pay for it in smaller amounts over a longer timeframe, Lease-to-Keep may be the answer.

It lets you use the equipment for low, monthly payments over four or five years. After the final payment, you own the equipment

Read more