Stand for hire, top to bottom (5)
I believe the answer is:
easel
'stand' is the definition.
(easel is a kind of stand)
'hire top to bottom' is the wordplay.
'hire' becomes 'lease' (synonyms).
'top' means to remove the first letter.
'to bottom' becomes 'l' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'lease' with its initial letter taken off is 'ease'.
'ease'+'l'='EASEL'
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for easel that I've seen before include "Artist's tripod" , "Artist's wooden frame" , "artistic aid" , "art supporter" , "Painter's support" .)