VMI

VMI are a film equipment rental company with an office in Soho, but I think their main warehouse is in Southall. Either way — VMI are one of the many companies you can go to in London to rent equipment for your production.
A thing of particular importance to me is how flexible the equipment houses are when it comes to pricing. A good rental company are aware of the fact that many films get made for not much money at all. But those with a bit of vision realise that us people making low-​budget films will, a couple of years from now, be making bigger budget features. Therefore it pays off for the companies when they understand this and help you out. But therein lies the problem. Many of the companies are interested in the money, not the long term relationships.
The good thing is that VMI are not one of these companies. As long as you have the insurance, a good script and the right friendly attitude — there’s every chance VMI will help you out. By all means, check out the rate card as your guide. but try to barter. At the end of the day, if your budget is £5000, you don’t want to spend half-​of that on camera. And VMI wouldn’t expect you to. Be realistic about your project and what you need; and there’s every chance VMI will cut you a good deal if they like you.
So in my experience, they’re very good. They’re flexible about dates, and equipment — on my production despite us not having much to show for ourselves we were able to rent top of the line equipment at a fraction of the usual costs. And therefore — it’s very likely we’ll take future business to VMI.
If you’re in film, and you need something. Check out VMI. However, it’s the type of business where a good look at their website would probably be more useful to you than visiting them. But feel free to ring them to discuss your needs, they’re very welcoming and helpful.