CCTV Leasing vs Buying: Which Makes Financial Sense?
By the DC Fire & Security engineering team — installing and maintaining fire and security systems since 2010. Updated June 2026.
Quick answer
Buying outright is cheapest over any horizon past ~3 years for a standard system — hardware is the small part of lifetime value, and ownership has no expiry. Leasing/subscription suits businesses that want opex treatment, bundled maintenance and refresh cycles without capital — at a premium typically 40–80% over five years. Read termination and end-of-term clauses before anything else.
The 5-year arithmetic on a typical 8-camera system
Numbers are representative installed ranges for a quality 4MP PoE system; your quotes will vary — the structure of the comparison is the point.
| Model | Upfront | Years 1–5 running | 5-yr total | You own it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buy outright | £3,500 | £250/yr maintenance (optional) | ~£4,750 | Yes |
| Buy + maintenance contract | £3,500 | £400/yr incl. callouts | ~£5,500 | Yes |
| Lease (3–5yr term) | £0–£500 | £90–£150/month | £5,400–£9,000 | Rarely (check) |
| Cloud subscription (Verkada-style) | Hardware £3,000–£5,000 | Licences £800–£1,600/yr | £7,000–£13,000 | Hardware yes, function no |
When leasing genuinely makes sense
- Cash preservation: new sites and fit-outs where capital is committed elsewhere
- Opex preference: some businesses simply budget monthly; leases and subscriptions fit the ledger (confirm tax treatment with your accountant — leases are typically fully deductible as paid)
- Bundled service: good leases include maintenance, repairs and even refresh at term — priced in, but predictable
- Multi-site rollouts standardised on cloud platforms where the dashboard is the product being bought
- Short-horizon premises: leases can suit tenancies where you'd never recoup capital
Contract clauses that decide whether leasing was wise
The CCTV lease horror stories all live in the paperwork: terms that auto-renew for further fixed periods unless cancelled in a narrow window; 'rental' agreements where you never own equipment that's fully amortised twice over; termination charges equal to all remaining payments; maintenance promises without response times; and assignments to finance houses who own the contract while the installer who sold it disappears. Before signing: total cost over term and over 10 years, ownership at end, exit terms mid-stream and at term, who actually services it, and what happens if the provider folds. We sell outright and maintain for a transparent annual fee — and we'll happily critique any lease quote you're holding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CCTV tax-deductible if bought outright?
What's a fair monthly price if I do want a package?
Can I buy the system at the end of a lease?
Do you offer payment terms?
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