Aidan Bar-Lev-WiseIf you plan to stay in your home for four seasons or more, buying Christmas lights usually costs less in Vancouver, because later years drop to about half of year one. If you may move within three seasons, or you never want to think about worn-out lights, renting is the simpler choice. This answer compares a $1,400 first year at WashTech with Flat Mate's Classic plan at its published starting prices, so your own quotes can move the point where buying wins.
WashTech sells lights and does not rent them, so read this guide with that in mind. Every outside figure links to the company's own page, checked November 5, 2026. Prices are in Canadian dollars, before tax.
Who rents and who sells in Vancouver
We read the sites of 14 Metro Vancouver installers besides WashTech. Selling is the most common model, and renting is well established. WashTech sells, which would make seven sellers out of 15.
- Sell you the lights6
- Keep the lights and rent them to you3
- Offer both, or rent to own2
- Pages differ or do not say3
| Model | Companies |
|---|---|
| You buy | Shack Shine, Festilight, Santa's Little Helpers, LitUp Vancouver, IntuLight, and Light Knights, whose wording points to sold, so confirm |
| The company keeps them | Flat Mate, Revive Services, Shine City |
| Both, or rent to own | Elevated Holiday Lights leases or sells. Five Star Holiday Decor has a three-year rent-to-own option, and Google shows it as temporarily closed |
| Pages differ or do not say | Forever Party says it owns the lights, while its Burnaby page says the materials are already paid for by year two. Care Electrical and College Pro do not state ownership |
The worked example: one 100-foot roofline, year by year
Take one home with 100 feet of roofline and follow it for six seasons. On the buying side we use $1,400, the middle of WashTech's typical first-year range, then $700 a year for labour. This is an illustration, and your quote could land lower or higher. On the renting side we use Flat Mate's Classic plan because it publishes both a first-season price and a renewal price. It covers the home's primary front roofline.
| Season | Buy: this year | Buy: running total | Rent: this year | Rent: running total | Buying is |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,400 | $1,400 | $995 | $995 | $405 higher |
| 2 | $700 | $2,100 | $875 | $1,870 | $230 higher |
| 3 | $700 | $2,800 | $875 | $2,745 | $55 higher |
| 4 | $700 | $3,500 | $875 | $3,620 | $120 lower |
| 5 | $700 | $4,200 | $875 | $4,495 | $295 lower |
| 6 | $700 | $4,900 | $875 | $5,370 | $470 lower |
The gap closes by $175 each year, because the renewal costs $175 more than the labour. Flat Mate locks its price in writing for three seasons. We assumed it holds after that, and a rise would favour buying.
Now try your own numbers. Choose your first-year price and how long you expect to stay. WashTech's later years stay at half the first year, with a $500 minimum.
Buying is $295 lower over 5 seasons.
Starting prices, before tax. The $900 and $2,400 options light more or less of a home than the Classic plan, so compare two quotes on the same rooflines.
The size of the job matters as much as the model. A $2,400 WashTech job comes to $7,200 over five seasons, and Flat Mate's Signature plan comes to $8,375 at its starting prices. A $900 WashTech job comes to $2,900.
What the five seasons feel like
Season 1
You pay $1,400 and own the lights. Renting would have cost $995, so you start $405 behind.
Season 2
You pay $700 for labour. We take the lights out of labelled storage and put them back up.
Season 3
The totals are almost level: $2,800 against $2,745. Flat Mate's three-season price lock ends here.
Season 4
Buying moves ahead by $120. This is also the last season of your 4-year product cover.
Season 5
Buying leads by $295. Your cover has ended, so a worn-out strand is now a cost to plan for.
Published renewal plans
Few companies publish what year two costs. The ones that do fall into two groups: some charge about half, and others charge most of the first-year price again. The chart gives dollars. WashTech's bars use our own three example jobs.
- Flat Mate Classic renewal$875
- Flat Mate Signature renewal$1,595
- Flat Mate Estate renewal$2,395
- WashTech, $900 first year$500
- WashTech, $1,400 first year$700
- WashTech, $2,400 first year$1,200
- Flat Mate Classic88
- Flat Mate Signature and Estate80
- Forever Party, Burnaby75 to 85
- Shack Shine45 to 55
- WashTech, about half50
We worked out Flat Mate's percentages from its prices. Forever Party states year two at 15% to 25% lower in Burnaby. Shack Shine states about 45% to 55% of year one.
Others describe year two without giving a figure:
- Festilight says later years cover labour and equipment.
- LitUp says later years cover installation only.
- Santa's Little Helpers offers existing clients 10% off in later years.
- Revive offers past clients an early-install discount and lets you change colours each year.
- Shine City says to ask about multi-year contracts with locked-in pricing.
The contract terms matter as much as the price. Flat Mate's plan renews by itself each September 1, it writes to you 30 to 60 days before, and you can cancel with 30 days' notice. You also get a full refund if you cancel within 10 days of signing. WashTech shows next year's price on your first quote, and you decide each year. Shack Shine says you can pay as you go and cancel or pause anytime.
What owning actually means
Owning the lights sounds like a garage full of boxes and a ladder in January. It depends on who you buy from. Here is what each company states.
| Company | Who stores them | Repairs in the season | Cover on the lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| WashTech, you own | WashTech, labelled | We come back and fix a failed bulb or strand | 4 years on product defects, with the conditions below |
| Shack Shine, you own | Shack Shine on its location pages. Its national page says "storage prep" | Under its commitment, up to 180 days from install | 4 years on defects. Void if it does not do both install and takedown |
| Festilight, you own | Festilight, at no extra charge | Seasonal maintenance included | 4-year limited warranty, void past 120 days up |
| Elevated, if you buy | You | A $100 callout to fix bulbs after 3 seasons | 3 seasons on purchased lights |
| IntuLight, you own | It leaves them with you | Not stated | Three-year warranty |
| Flat Mate, it owns | Flat Mate | Free, within 48 hours | It replaces anything that fails |
| Revive, it owns | Revive | Free 48-hour maintenance calls | Warranted, with no term stated |
Storage
With WashTech, your lights go into labelled storage after takedown, and storage is part of the job. Check this line on every quote. College Pro says it does not store lights between seasons, and Elevated leaves bought lights with you.
Repairs and cover
Renting wins on worn-out lights. Flat Mate replaces its own lights when they fail, and the owner of bought lights carries that cost once the cover ends. WashTech's 4 years of cover apply to product defects in purchased lights, when WashTech installs and takes them down each year. Cover lapses if the lights stay up more than 120 days in a row. Damage from homeowners, other contractors, animals or weather may carry a service call fee.
Moving house
This is where renting is cleanest. Flat Mate says to cancel and it removes everything at no charge, or it can transfer the agreement. Bought lights are yours to take, but your new home will have a different roofline, so the amount you need may change. Ask us before you move, so we can talk through the takedown and what the new home needs.
One company that offers both
Elevated Holiday Lights sells and leases, so its own answer shows the trade. If you lease, Elevated owns the lights and looks after them. If you buy, you store your lights and Elevated only installs them, with a 3-season warranty and then a $100 callout to fix bulbs. Its packages start at $790. Its page does not publish a renewal or a year-two price, so ask for both before you choose.
Changing installers
Owning does not always mean you can switch freely. WashTech installs only the lights we supply, and our cover depends on us doing the work. Festilight installs used lights only if they are commercial grade. IntuLight and College Pro say they can install your existing lights, and Care Electrical will inspect them first. Ask before you buy anywhere.
Who each option suits
Renting may suit you if
- You may move within three seasons. Season 3 is the last year renting stays ahead in our example.
- You want a low first year. Elevated starts at $790 and Flat Mate at $995.
- You want a new look. Revive says you can change your colours every year.
- You never want to think about failed parts, and you are happy with a plan that renews by itself.
Buying may suit you if
- You plan to stay for four seasons or more.
- You want the same display each year and a lower bill from year two.
- You would rather decide each year than cancel a plan.
- You want your installer to store the lights, so check that the seller does.
If you never want a yearly bill at all, there is a third option. Our guide to permanent vs seasonal lights runs the same 100-foot roofline through a permanent system.
What to ask before you sign
If you rent
- What is my renewal price in writing, and for how many seasons does it hold?
- Does the plan renew by itself? On what date, and how much notice do you need to cancel?
- What happens to the lights and the agreement if I sell the house?
- Can I change colours or add to the display, and what does that cost?
If you buy
- What will year two cost, as a dollar figure, on this quote?
- Who stores the lights, and does that cost extra?
- What voids the cover? Check who must install them and how many days they can stay up.
- What will a failed strand cost once the cover ends?
What the math leaves out
- Same display. Flat Mate's Classic plan and a $1,400 WashTech job may not light the same amount of your home.
- Future prices. We held every price flat. Flat Mate's lock runs for three seasons, and WashTech's first quote shows next year's price, so later years can change at both.
- Replacement parts. We did not add a cost for worn-out lights in later years, because no company in our survey publishes one.
- Tax. Figures are before tax, and Flat Mate states its prices plus GST.
- Other plans. Revive, Elevated and Shine City did not publish a renewal price we could use.
Questions about renting and buying
Does WashTech rent lights?
No. You buy the lights in year one and own them after that. We store them for you between seasons.
Will WashTech install lights I already bought?
No. We install only the lights we supply, so our cover applies to everything on your home.
Can I switch from a rental to buying?
Yes, once you end your rental. Rented lights stay with the rental company, so we would quote new lights for your home. Check your agreement for its notice period first.
What does rent to own mean?
Five Star Holiday Decor names a three-year rent-to-own option on its page and does not publish the price or the terms. Ask who owns the lights at the end and what you pay in year four.
What does the first year cost overall?
Our Christmas light cost guide covers what 14 companies publish, what moves the price and what doing it yourself costs.
Your next step
Ask for two quotes on the same rooflines, one to rent and one to buy, and write down the year-two price from each. Then put them in the calculator above. Get your Christmas light quote from WashTech, and your first quote will show next year's price. Our pages on Christmas lights in North Vancouver, Christmas lights in West Vancouver and Christmas lights in Burnaby show how this works on homes there.
Comparing specific companies? See WashTech against Flat Mate and Elevated Holiday Lights, which both rent, or against Shack Shine and Festilight, which both sell. Our list of the best Christmas light installers in Vancouver grades them side by side.