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Guard Tour System Finance

Guard tour patrol systems cost from around £500 for a basic single-reader kit to £8,000+ for a multi-guard system with unlimited checkpoints and cloud reporting software.

Can you finance a guard tour system?

Yes, guard tour systems are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £500 to £8,000, and most deals are written over 12-36 months with a deposit of around 10-20%. Decisions typically take 24–48 hours. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

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Typical Cost

£500 – £8k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for < £30k

Rates From

5.6% - 9.9% per annum

What would a guard tour system cost per month?

£2,500
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical guard tour system price. Indicative only, not a quote.

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
5.9% - 9.9% per annum
Term
12-36 months
Deposit
10-20%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Security contractors building a permanently owned reader fleet across several contracts

Finance Lease

Rate
5.6% - 8.9% per annum
Term
12-36 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for
Bundling a multi-site rollout of readers and a reporting software upgrade into one payment

Operating Lease

Rate
6.3% - 9.9% per annum
Term
12-24 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return at end
Best for
Contractors that want readers off balance sheet and refreshed as reporting technology moves to GPS or app-based tracking

Representative example

On a purchase price of £2,500: a 10% deposit of £250, then 48 monthly payments of £53 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £2,794, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification Guide price Type
Basic single-reader guard tour kit £215 - £600 Guard Tour Reader Kit
GS-V5 patrol reader system (checkpoint tags, reporting software) £600 - £1,800 Guard Tour System
GS-V8 waterproof patrol reader system (multi-guard, cloud reporting) £1,800 - £8,000 Guard Tour System

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Tax benefits

A guard tour system is treated as plant and machinery for tax purposes, so it qualifies for the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting a business deduct the full cost from taxable profits in the year of purchase, up to the current £1,000,000 annual limit. Companies buying new, unused equipment may also qualify for full expensing, a 100% first-year deduction against Corporation Tax. These allowances apply where you own the asset, so they are available under a Hire Purchase agreement. Under a Finance Lease or Operating Lease you do not own the system outright, so allowances are not claimed directly; instead the payments are generally deducted as a business expense against profits. Always confirm treatment with your accountant before committing to a structure.

Market context

Guard tour systems are bought by security contractors and in-house facilities teams to prove that a patrol route was actually walked and checkpoints were actually visited, which is often a contractual requirement from the client the security company is working for rather than a discretionary purchase. Because the ticket price is modest compared to most other security equipment, buyers more commonly pay outright or lease a fleet of readers as their guarding contracts grow, and finance is more often used to bundle a multi-site rollout or a software subscription upgrade than a single reader purchase. Replacement is driven by the reader's battery and casing wearing out under daily outdoor use, and by clients increasingly wanting real-time GPS or app-based reporting rather than end-of-shift downloads.

Bad credit?

Several of our 200+ lenders specialise in businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options exist. Checking your options here does not affect your credit score, because we do not run a credit search to match you. A lender will run their own checks only if you decide to apply.

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Frequently asked questions

Is it worth financing guard tour equipment given the relatively low unit cost?
For a single reader, many security contractors simply buy outright given the modest cost. Finance becomes more useful when you're rolling out readers across several sites or guards at once, or bundling the hardware with a software licence upgrade, where spreading a larger combined cost makes more sense than a single reader purchase would. Your broker can talk this through against your own trading history and site circumstances before you commit to a particular structure.
Can I finance a multi-site guard tour rollout on one agreement?
Yes, this is the most common way guard tour finance is used, covering readers, checkpoint tags and reporting software across several sites or contracts on a single agreement, which is simpler to administer than financing each site separately. Structuring it this way is usually simpler to administer than running separate agreements for each unit, and the combined value of the deal can also help when negotiating rate.
Does guard tour finance cover the reporting software as well as the readers?
It can, provided the software licence is itemised alongside the hardware on the supplier's invoice. Where reporting software is charged as an ongoing subscription rather than a one-off licence fee, that subscription typically sits outside the finance agreement as a running cost. It's worth asking your supplier for an invoice that clearly separates the equipment being financed from any ongoing subscription or service charge, so there's no ambiguity when the finance agreement is drawn up.
Is a guard tour system eligible for Annual Investment Allowance?
Yes, guard tour hardware qualifies as plant and machinery, so it's eligible for AIA up to the current annual limit under Hire Purchase. Leased systems don't attract AIA directly, but the rental is usually deductible as a business expense instead. Given the modest values typically involved, this is unlikely to be the deciding factor in how you fund the purchase.

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