Soft Play Equipment Finance

Q: Can I finance the whole soft play centre, including the café fit-out?

Yes, many lenders will fund the frame alongside the surrounding fit-out, flooring, café equipment, seating and reception, as one project. Some prefer to separate the play frame itself from general fit-out items such as furniture, since they depreciate differently; your broker can advise which structure gets you the better overall terms for your specific mix of spend.

Q: Why does soft play finance usually need a bigger deposit?

A soft play frame is bespoke to the building it is installed in and cannot easily be removed and resold if a deal goes wrong, so lenders have less to fall back on than with portable equipment. That is why deposits on soft play finance typically run 20–30%, higher than a standard gym or catering equipment deal, and why a lender will look closely at footfall projections and the strength of the lease before agreeing terms.

Q: What happens to the frame if my lease ends?

This should be agreed with your landlord before you build, not after. Because the frame is fixed into the floor and often the roof structure, most leases require it to be removed and the unit made good, at the tenant's cost, unless you negotiate otherwise. Settling this dilapidations position in writing, and making sure your lender sees it, avoids a costly surprise bill at the end of the lease.

Q: How often does soft play equipment need replacing?

The steel frame itself typically lasts many years, but the padding, netting and matting wear from constant use and need periodic replacement to pass safety inspections. Most operators budget for a re-pad or partial refurbishment well before the frame's structure needs attention, which is why shorter finance terms are often used for refurbishment work compared with a full new-build installation.

Spread the cost of a soft play installation from £20,000 to £300,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance, compare rates from 40+ lenders.

Can you finance a soft play equipment?

Yes, soft play equipments 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 £20,000 to £300,000, and most deals are written over 24–60 months with a deposit of around 20–30%. Decisions typically take 3–5 working days. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

Typical Cost

£20k – £300k

Approval Speed

3–5 working days

Same-day agreement in principle for < £50k

Rates From

7.0% APR

What would a soft play equipment cost per month?

Soft Play Equipment price (ex VAT) £80,000

Deposit 10%

Agreement term 60 months

Annual interest rate 9%

Balloon payment £0

Your estimate

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

Pre-filled with a typical soft play equipment price. Indicative only, not a quote.

Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate: From 7.5% APR
Term: 24–60 months
Deposit: 20–30%
Ownership: Yours at the end
Best for: Owner-operators who will keep the same site for the life of the frame

Finance Lease

Rate: From 7.0% APR
Term: 24–60 months
Deposit: None required
Ownership: Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for: Tax-efficient, claim payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate: From 8.0% APR
Term: 36–48 months
Deposit: None required
Ownership: Return at end
Best for: Operators who want the frame off balance sheet ahead of a lease review

Representative example

On a purchase price of £80,000: a 10% deposit of £8,000, then 48 monthly payments of £1,688 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £89,024, 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
Toddler soft play unit (under 4s)	£15,000 – £35,000	Toddler unit
Multi-level soft play frame (2–3 storeys)	£60,000 – £150,000	Multi-level frame
Full soft play centre installation (frame, slides, ball pool, café fit-out)	£150,000 – £300,000	Full centre installation
Soft play frame refurbishment and re-pad	£20,000 – £50,000	Refurbishment

Tax benefits

A soft play frame is purpose-built apparatus for the trade of running a play centre, bolted together in modular sections rather than built as part of the structure, and it generally qualifies as plant and machinery, eligible for the Annual Investment Allowance up to £1,000,000 in the year of purchase. Where a frame is designed and fixed as an integral part of a purpose-built unit rather than a demountable structure, ask a capital allowances specialist to confirm the treatment before claiming, since the answer depends on exactly how it was constructed and fixed.

Market context

Soft play equipment is bought by dedicated soft play centres, farm parks, garden centres and family entertainment venues, most often as the single largest cost in fitting out a new play centre. Finance is standard because the frame, padding and ball pool arrive as one project invoice before the venue has taken a single admission, and spreading that cost protects the funds needed for the café, staffing and marketing a new site depends on. A soft play frame is a substantial, heavy structure bolted into the floor and often into the roof steels of the building, so where the operator leases the unit, landlord consent for the installation and a clear dilapidations position covering removal or making good at the end of the lease are essential and usually settled before a lender will fund the build. Replacement is driven by safety inspections flagging worn padding, netting and matting rather than the welded steel frame itself failing, and because each frame is a bespoke fit to a specific building's dimensions and roof height, there is very little secondhand market for a used soft play structure once it has been installed.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Can I finance the whole soft play centre, including the café fit-out?