International Rental News reported a significant number of contractors and other end users around the world plan to increase their use of rental services in the coming five years according to International Rental News' first ever‘Attitudes to Rental' survey.

According to this report, the proportion of end users in Western Europe and North America expecting to significantly increase their rental spending is modest at 12% and 15%, respectively. However, these proportions increase to 31% and 41% when you include those companies that indicated they will "slightly increase" their rental use. More than 850 companies worldwide completed the online survey during February.

The full survey results will be published over two issues of IRN magazine, with part one in the March-April issue and part two in May-June.

The report also cites the fact that the survey reveals that economic uncertainty is playing a major role in determining rental policy. When asked what factors were leading them to rent more, the most important reason in both North America and Western Europe was that it ‘gives flexibility in uncertain economic times'.  The issue of access to capital resulting from banks tightening lending was not considered an important factor leading companies towards rental in either North America or western Europe.