The direct funder advantage: for schools and their EdTech suppliers
If you’ve been supplying equipment to schools for any length of time, you’ve probably been involved in helping your customers access finance to pay for your equipment. The most obvious route is to contact a lease broker who will search the market for a suitable funder to provide the necessary finance to help schools pay […]
Leasing with Utility Rentals and ClaaS: 2025 in review
As we approach the end of 2025, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what’s been an extraordinary year for our company, our schools, and our supplier partners. From milestone anniversaries to industry shifts that reshaped how schools approach technology procurement, this year has reinforced why the subscription model for educational technology is so beneficial […]
5 lessons from 40 years in education leasing
This year marks a significant milestone for us. On 2nd December 2025, our parent company, the Longriver Group, will celebrate its 40th birthday! The technology in classrooms today would be unrecognisable to someone from 1985. We’ve seen EdTech evolve from monolithic desktop computers to slick AI-powered learning platforms. However, the fundamental challenges schools and suppliers […]
The schools’ guide to operating and finance leases
When it comes to equipping classrooms with the latest technology and facilities, most schools face the same challenge: limited capital budgets. Leasing offers a practical solution, allowing schools to spread the cost of essential equipment over time and allocate precious capital funds to other projects. But what kind of lease is best? The first step […]
What’s changed since Labour added VAT to private school fees?
As we approach the new financial year, it’s a fitting time to reflect on the impact to the education sector of adding VAT to private school fees. We provide equipment leasing finance to both private and state schools here at Utility Rentals, so we will be exploring what this change means in practice for the […]
Leasing with ClaaS: the year in review
In April 2024, Utility Rentals launched a sister company, Classroom as a Service (ClaaS) to provide specialist finance to schools wishing to acquire IT equipment. As of December 2024, the new brand is off to a strong start, regularly helping schools acquire laptops in quantities of 200 to 500. In this blog, we’re going to […]
How we make it easy for your customers to lease your products
We’ve posted before about why suppliers should partner with Utility Rentals, but in this blog we’re going to show you just how easy it is for your customers to sign up to our compliant leasing agreements – and what you and they stand to gain. Schools and the cashflow issue If you sell products and […]
Why schools should lease equipment through Utility Rentals
With a (nearly!) 40-year track record in helping schools afford high quality equipment, there are many reasons why schools across the UK choose Utility Rentals time and again as their leasing partner. In this blog, we’ll explore each of those reasons and explain how schools can benefit from partnering with us to finance their new […]
Why suppliers should partner with Utility Rentals
As an equipment supplier to the education sector, you know that schools are always short of money. They may want what you have to offer, but budget limitations may mean they scale back what they order, or choose not to proceed at all. That’s where we come in. Utility Rentals has nearly 40 years’ experience […]
ClaaS is now in session! Introducing our sister company.
Welcome to Classroom as a Service™ (ClaaS)! We are the brand new sister company of Utility Rentals, providing specialist leases for school equipment since 1985. ClaaS focuses on the financing and supply of IT equipment to schools, academies and colleges, and we work in close partnership with trusted suppliers to help educational institutions afford the kit […]