The concept of renting items rather than owning them has gained popularity over the years. With emphasis on minimalistic living, the rental business is thriving more than ever. Gone are the days when real estate was the only thing that you could rent. Now you can rent anything from automobiles to kids accessories, electronics, construction equipment and even storage spaces.
If you find yourself looking for a low-investment business idea with good returns, then rental business ideas are a good place to start. In this blog, we will provide you with various rental business ideas in India as well as guide you with the brand examples of each rental business. So dive in now and find out the best rental business ideas that suit you.
15 Best Rental Business Ideas in India to Make Money in 2024
Section1: Renting Home Appliances
Renting home appliances and furniture is a promising rental business idea for when guests come to stay. Having extra guests can create a need for additional equipment like folding chairs, cooking pots, plates, utensils, fans, bedding, and more. However, most people do not want to invest in buying these items for temporary use. This creates an opportunity to start a rental service that provides home appliances and furnishings on demand when people have extra house guests.
The rental inventory could include commonly needed items like air mattresses, dish sets, cooking equipment, folding tables, and basic furniture. The target customers would be homeowners hosting relatives, friends, or other houseguests for a period of time. Marketing could focus on ease, convenience and affordable rates for renting just the amount of extra home equipment needed.
Overall, a home appliance and furniture rental business meets a specific need with low overhead costs. Focusing on customer convenience and seamless service, especially with delivery and pick-up, could attract homeowners looking to comfortably accommodate guests in their homes for short or extended stays.
Example: RentoMojo is a popular furniture and appliance rental company with its presence in different cities of India. Newly married couples and also people looking to relocate are availing these services as renting is more cost-effective than buying.
Section 2: Pet Equipment Rental
Growing at a CAGR of 16.5%, the pet care industry in India is expected to reach $1932.6 million by 2030. This makes it a highly lucrative industry to invest in. A pet equipment rental business usually offers rental services for playpens, crates, beds, car accessories, toys and more. Crates come in regular and semi-solid options. Playpens range from soft indoor pens to large outdoor yards. Beds include elevated cots and orthopaedic memory foam mats. Car rentals feature booster seats, seat covers, and safety harnesses. Other miscellaneous rental products include puzzle feeders, cooling mats, life jackets, wireless fences, and protective furniture covers.
Running a pet business requires a deep understanding of different breeds, common pet issues and the concerns of pet owners.
Example: Paw-some Rentals is a company that offers a wide range of pet equipment for rentals including pet carriers and crates, pet strollers, grooming equipment and camping gear for pets.
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Section 3: Outdoor Adventure Gear Rentals
The popularity of outdoor pursuits such as hiking, camping, backpacking, mountaineering, skiing, etc has increased tremendously over the years, making the outdoor adventure gear rentals a good rental business to invest in. This allows customers to enjoy outdoor activities without having to purchase equipment for each activity. For travellers planning a one-time trek or outdoor adventure activity, renting would be cost-effective.
The products that can be rented out include camping equipment, hiking and backpacking gear, mountaineering, biking and water sports equipment along with equipment for photography and optics. Offering additional services like gear maintenance and repair and guided tours and classes can also expand the customer base steadily.
Example: Indiahikes store is one such outdoor gear rental business that mainly caters to trekkers and offers products like trekking backpacks, fleece packs, collectibles and trek guidebooks.
Section 4 : Construction Equipment Rentals
In recent years, the equipment rental business has grown in demand due to the rising cost of construction machinery. Renting construction equipment has several benefits like avoiding storage or maintenance costs and investing in new technology. Additionally, you can rent equipment tailored to each job when you need construction equipment for a shorter period of time.
Some examples of rental equipment include earthmoving equipment, power systems, forklift rentals, air compressor rentals, powertool rentals and scaffolding rentals.
Example: Sanghvi Movers Ltd based out of Pune,India is a well-known company that specialises in renting out heavy machinery and equipment for all sorts of construction and infrastructure projects.
Related: 35 Profitable Tech Startup Ideas in India
Section 5: Bike Rentals
Bike rental business is one of the best businesses to start in today’s times. Bike rental businesses provide bikes to people who are not exclusively visitors or tourists for a short period. Bikes are more often used for local exploration. Since overcoming its initial phase in India, the bike rental business has begun to ascend the ladder of growth.
The impressive growth in the bike rental business market is witnessed due to the convenient way of getting a bike without paying maintenance costs. The users are generally college students or other locals who need bikes to rent such as bicycles or motorcycles, for a short period. Also, tourists take bikes on rent to explore the city uniquely. The users pick up the bikes from multiple dock stations or dock-less stations in the city and can return the bike to the same or another station.
The low startup costs also make the bike rental business highly economical and a lucrative option.
Related: Small Business Ideas for Middle Class Family
Section 6: Baby Gear and Bounce House Rentals
Baby gear rentals provide the ultimate convenience for families traveling with infants and toddlers. By renting essentials like strollers, car seats, cribs, high chairs, and activity centers, parents can avoid the hassle and costs of transporting bulky gear to destinations away from home. Local baby gear rental services allow families to pick up or have items delivered right to their hotel or vacation accommodation.
Meanwhile, bounce house rentals thrive as popular entertainment for kids’ parties and events. Inflatable bouncers, slides, and obstacle courses create a buzz that families rent year after year. Rentals spike for birthdays and festivals, driving year-round demand.
Targeting families visiting your city with access to quality, safety-checked rented baby items can tap into this rapidly growing travel market. Promote baby gear rentals as the smart, stress-free solution for travelers with little ones.
Example: Coodle.co based in Bangalore is a one stop baby gear rental that offers all baby accessories like strollers, car seats, cribs, playpens and feeding chairs for rent.
Section 7 : Kids Toys and Books Rental
A toys and books rental business allows children to continually engage with new playthings and reading materials without the expense of purchasing. Rotating access to different toys and books keeps young minds active and entertained in a cost-effective manner for parents. You can also add subscription boxes providing kids books and toys for rental as per the age of the kid.
Subscription rental plans create steady recurring revenue. Focus the mix on educational toys and books to promote skill-building. Tap into secondhand inventory to limit acquisition costs. Marketing the subscription plans as an eco-friendly way to save environment and to avoid clutter appeals to today’s new-gen parents. The toys and books rental model also creates new ways of keeping kids engaged, thus reducing their screen time.
Example : Khilonewala is India’s online toy library which has different membership plans for renting out toys.
Section 8: Virtual Reality (VR) Equipment Rental Service
Virtual reality rentals let individuals and businesses experience immersive VR worlds without investing in expensive headsets and hardware. VR rental companies offer premium gear like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR with gaming capabilities for entertainment events.
Businesses can rent full VR setups for trade shows, corporate training, simulations, virtual tours and more. Rental inventory also includes VR-ready laptops and PCs, motion platforms, treadmills and peripherals to enhance experiences.
As demand for VR rises, short-term rentals provide an accessible entry point. Venues hosting conferences or parties appreciate easy VR integrations without ownership burdens. Securing the latest VR hardware for rentals keeps offerings fresh.
Gamers represent another major customer segment for VR rentals. Enthusiasts eager to try the latest VR games and experiences turn to rentals for affordable access without full headset investments. VR gaming zones at parties or events let more participants try immersive games. Rental companies can collaborate with gaming hubs, eSports venues and stores to reach core gamers.
Example : https://vrking.in/
VR King is a major brand that offers VR rentals along with immersive experiences like VR excursion for kids. Their rental inventory includes major VR headsets like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, and Samsung Gear VR. They also provide complete VR setups and experiences for trade shows, product launches, corporate team building, educational sessions etc. They are positioned as India’s premier VR rental specialist making cutting-edge VR tech easily available for businesses.
Section 9: Event and Party Rental Business ideas
Most people usually host parties once in a few months or so. Hence, whether you need a bouncing house for a birthday party or a karoake machine for a office party, renting the equipment will be the right decision.
You don’t just have to offer single equipment but an entire party theme and plan. Besides, you can offer party supplies and rental packages for various events like picnics, birthdays, reunions, etc.
Though this market is a little complicated and densely crowded due to its high-rising demand, you can gain the desirable success by finding your niche. Moreover, setting up your party rental with a unique idea helps you stand out and expand your business.
Hence, starting a party rental service business is lucrative because parties go on for a year, and you’ll keep getting customers for your business around the year.
Most important types of Party and Event Rental Supplier products are
- Furniture Rentals
- Tableware Rentals
- Marquee and Canopy Rentals
- Lighting and Sound Equipment Rentals
- Kitchenware Rentals
- Stage and Flooring Rentals
- Other Party Equipment Rentals
Section10 : Lawn Sign Rentals
In the past, we would’ve celebrated birthdays and special events with cards and banners, but we’ve seen a trend towards lawn sign rentals. The lawn sign rental business offers an unexpected yet promising business avenue in India. With growing private events and suburban communities, demand is rising for temporary lawn signs for birthdays, celebrations and personal milestones. Additionally, elections catalyze recurring demand for political signage rentals.
Low overhead makes entering feasible. Success comes from finding promising locations near residential areas and promotional signage hotspots. Effective targeting to individual consumers, campaigns and organizations needing visual exposure on lawns taps into this underserved niche. While competition is minimal currently, establishing brand recognition early helps capture market share in this innovative rental business idea poised for growth
Section 11: Wedding Event Rentals Business Ideas
India’s big, lavish wedding industry drives high demand for wedding rentals. From venues to décor, furniture, lighting and more, rentals fit the need for temporary event infrastructure. There are several niche items that you can offer as rentals for weddings
a) Tables and Chairs for Rent
b) Lighting and Decorative pieces
c) Cutlery and decorative display items
d) Various Mandaps for different occasions
e) Flower arrangement décor items
f) Photo Booth Rentals
g) Sound system Rentals
By providing a combination of these services , you have a promising niche for rentals business in one of the most profitable business segment of India.
Section 12: Designer Clothes Rental Business Ideas
The rising demand for affordable luxury and variety is driving interest in renting designer clothes and accessories. A designer clothes rental business allows people to experience high-end brands without committing to purchases. Ideal for weddings, vacations, parties, special events. Specially caters to fashion enthusiasts, bargain hunters, and sustainable consumers.
Curating styles to suit local tastes and having tie-ups with fashion influencers can help promote this designer cloth brand. Also offering virtual try-outs and size recommendation tools can do best to get more online bookings. A personalized styling experience also helps your brand stand out.
These are the top7 Rental Designer Boutiques to rent clothes online.
- Fly Robe
- SwishList
- Wrapd
- Rent An attire
- Liberent
- Stage 3
- The Clothing Rental
Section 13: Rental Photography Booths
Rental photography Booths are one of the most innovative rental business ideas in India. Fun props, backdrops and lighting bring out people’s playful and creative side. Guests enjoy dressing up and posing, bonding over taking photos together. Thus rental photography studios are a great way to add fun and frolic to any event. It also becomes easy for photographers also inject artsy styles into shots, elevating mundane corporate events into looking like high-fashion shoots.
Separate setups for wedding and corporate events can be targeted thus making this a lucrative low-investment business that offers high returns. After the initial investment of purchasing the photography studios, and creating a personal brand there is an option to earn good returns ranging from Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000 for photo booth rentals per day.
Section 14: Medical Equipment Rental Business
Healthcare facilities need to provide quality care but face capital budget constraints in purchasing expensive medical equipment. Rentals allow access to advanced technology at a fraction of the cost. Hospitals, clinics, diagnostic labs, doctors’ offices, home healthcare providers rent high-value modalities like MRI machines, CT scanners etc.
Patients also rent hospital beds, oxygen concentrators, mobile scooters, CPAP machines, and other medical equipment for home use. Profit margins vary by asset type but range from 30% on high-competition commoditized rentals to 60%+ on specialized assets.
The medical equipment rental market offers steady demand and high profitability. Effective marketing to healthcare providers and patients combined with a diversified inventory drives success.
Section 15: Car Rental Business
Car rental business is one of the most profitable rental business ideas in India. As per a recent report published on Digital Journal, the car rental business is booming across the world with key applications being on-airport rentals and off-airport rentals. In order to start a car rental business, you need to research the various niches and determine which one you wish to pursue. Contract hire is typically used by businesses to hire vehicles for a specific amount of time, whilst daily hire is used by individuals to rent vehicles for a shorter period of time.
Another aspect to think about before starting a car rental business is how to get your fleet of vehicles – either by purchasing or leasing vehicles. While downright purchasing is costlier, leasing is more cost-effective.
The different car rental services that can be provided also include
- Employee Transportation Services.
- Corporate Car Rental Services.
- Airport Pick up & Drop Service.
- Outstation Car Rental Services.
- Railway Pick up & Drop Service.
- Ev Mobility Solutions.
Example: Revv in Chennai is one of the popular car rental services that offers rental cars starting at prices from Rs.339/day.
Most Profitable Rental Business Ideas
The real estate rental market in India offers tremendous growth opportunities across residential and commercial segments. With rapid urbanization leading to migration towards cities, demand for rented housing is immense, especially among students and bachelors.
On the commercial side, small businesses and startups favor renting offices rather than owning real estate. Even established companies opt for leased workspaces for flexibility. The rising millennial workforce also prefers rental stays with co-living spaces and co-working spaces gaining popularity. To tap this sizeable addressable market, real estate players are increasingly adding rental assets to their portfolios. Rentals provide a steady revenue stream while investors can exit profitably when property valuations appreciate.
Below is a list of real estate rental business ideas which are one of the best rental business ideas in India.
Real Estate Business Type |
Function |
Marketing Strategy |
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Fully rent out houses for long durations |
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Rent out spare rooms in homes |
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Lease office space to companies |
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Rent out apartments in leased buildings |
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