Commercial finance
Ten facilities. We will help you pick the right one.
The right facility changes the cost, the security you give and how quickly it completes — a machine belongs on asset finance, a scheme on development finance. This page is here to help you find yours before you fill anything in, and a short call will confirm it.
Start here
Which one is right for you.
Six situations that cover most of what comes through the door. Find yours below — and if none of them quite fits, a five-minute call will place it.
- The money is for one specific asset.
- Asset finance, secured on the thing itself. Almost always beats an unsecured loan on rate, and it leaves your unsecured capacity intact.More on asset finance
- Customers pay in 60 days, suppliers want 30.
- Invoice finance. A term loan treats that symptom for a year and then leaves you with the same gap plus a repayment.More on invoice finance
- A completion date that will not move.
- Bridging. It is priced on the asset and the exit rather than on trading history, which is why it can complete in weeks.More on bridging finance
- You are buying a building to trade from.
- A commercial mortgage — and often cheaper monthly than the rent you are paying now.More on commercial mortgages
- You are buying a business.
- Acquisition finance, sized against the target's earnings rather than yours. If property is included, split it out onto a mortgage.More on acquisition finance
- You are building or converting.
- Development finance, drawn in stages against certified work. Not a lump sum — a schedule.More on development finance
Side by side
What actually differs between them.
The rate is not the interesting column. Security, how the facility is priced and how long it takes are what decide whether a product fits your case.
| Facility | Typical amount | Term | Security taken | Priced on | Time to complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business loans | £10k to £500k unsecured | 1 to 5 years | Debenture and PG, or property | Turnover, filed accounts, credit | 48 hours to 3 weeks |
| Asset finance | £5k to £5m | 2 to 7 years | The asset itself | Asset type, age and resale value | 24 hours to 1 week |
| Merchant cash advance | £3k to £500k | No fixed term | Future card receipts | Card turnover, factor rate | 24 to 72 hours |
| Invoice finance | 80–90% of ledger | Rolling, 12-month contract | The sales ledger, plus debenture | Turnover, debtor quality, spread | 1 to 3 weeks to set up |
| Trade finance | £25k to £5m per cycle | 60 to 180 days | The goods and the receivable | Counterparties and the trade cycle | 2 to 4 weeks to set up |
| Acquisition finance | £250k to £25m+ | 3 to 7 years | Debenture, property, share pledge | Adjusted EBITDA and cover | 8 to 16 weeks |
| Bridging finance | £50k to £25m | 3 to 24 months | 1st or 2nd charge on property | The asset and the exit | Days to weeks |
| Buy-to-let mortgages | £25k to £2m per property | 5 to 30 years | 1st charge, plus PG in an SPV | Rental cover at a stress rate | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Commercial mortgages | £100k to £25m | 5 to 25 years | 1st charge, usually plus debenture | Covenant strength and cover | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Development finance | £250k to £50m | 12 to 24 months | 1st charge on site, plus debenture | Cost, GDV and your track record | 4 to 10 weeks |
Business loans
- Typical amount
- £10k to £500k unsecured
- Term
- 1 to 5 years
- Security taken
- Debenture and PG, or property
- Priced on
- Turnover, filed accounts, credit
- Time to complete
- 48 hours to 3 weeks
Asset finance
- Typical amount
- £5k to £5m
- Term
- 2 to 7 years
- Security taken
- The asset itself
- Priced on
- Asset type, age and resale value
- Time to complete
- 24 hours to 1 week
Merchant cash advance
- Typical amount
- £3k to £500k
- Term
- No fixed term
- Security taken
- Future card receipts
- Priced on
- Card turnover, factor rate
- Time to complete
- 24 to 72 hours
Invoice finance
- Typical amount
- 80–90% of ledger
- Term
- Rolling, 12-month contract
- Security taken
- The sales ledger, plus debenture
- Priced on
- Turnover, debtor quality, spread
- Time to complete
- 1 to 3 weeks to set up
Trade finance
- Typical amount
- £25k to £5m per cycle
- Term
- 60 to 180 days
- Security taken
- The goods and the receivable
- Priced on
- Counterparties and the trade cycle
- Time to complete
- 2 to 4 weeks to set up
Acquisition finance
- Typical amount
- £250k to £25m+
- Term
- 3 to 7 years
- Security taken
- Debenture, property, share pledge
- Priced on
- Adjusted EBITDA and cover
- Time to complete
- 8 to 16 weeks
Bridging finance
- Typical amount
- £50k to £25m
- Term
- 3 to 24 months
- Security taken
- 1st or 2nd charge on property
- Priced on
- The asset and the exit
- Time to complete
- Days to weeks
Buy-to-let mortgages
- Typical amount
- £25k to £2m per property
- Term
- 5 to 30 years
- Security taken
- 1st charge, plus PG in an SPV
- Priced on
- Rental cover at a stress rate
- Time to complete
- 4 to 8 weeks
Commercial mortgages
- Typical amount
- £100k to £25m
- Term
- 5 to 25 years
- Security taken
- 1st charge, usually plus debenture
- Priced on
- Covenant strength and cover
- Time to complete
- 6 to 12 weeks
Development finance
- Typical amount
- £250k to £50m
- Term
- 12 to 24 months
- Security taken
- 1st charge on site, plus debenture
- Priced on
- Cost, GDV and your track record
- Time to complete
- 4 to 10 weeks
These are indicative market ranges rather than a quotation — they are here so you can sanity-check any offer you are shown. Your own terms will be priced on the asset, the borrowing entity, your trading history and the exit, and we will put real figures in front of you on the first call.
4 facilities
Property finance
Bridging finance
Short-term debt secured against property, priced on the asset and repaid from a defined exit rather than from trading income.
£50k to £25m · Days to weeks
Buy-to-let mortgages
A mortgage on property let to tenants, assessed on whether the rent covers the payment under a stressed rate rather than on your personal income.
£25k to £2m per property · 4 to 8 weeks
Commercial mortgages
Long-term debt secured on commercial property, repaid from trading profit or rental income over a term of years rather than from a sale.
£100k to £25m · 6 to 12 weeks
Development finance
Funding released in stages against a scheme's cost plan, secured on the site and repaid from sales or a refinance once the units are complete.
£250k to £50m · 4 to 10 weeks
3 facilities
Business lending
Business loans
A fixed sum lent to the business and repaid over an agreed term from trading income, either unsecured against the covenant or secured on property or assets.
£10k to £500k unsecured · 48 hours to 3 weeks
Asset finance
Funding secured on the equipment itself, repaid over the asset's working life, with ownership either transferring to you at the end or remaining with the lender.
£5k to £5m · 24 hours to 1 week
Acquisition finance
Debt raised to buy a business or a shareholding, sized against the target's sustainable earnings and repaid from the profits of the business being acquired.
£250k to £25m+ · 8 to 16 weeks
3 facilities
Cash flow and trade
Merchant cash advance
A lump sum advanced against future card sales, repaid automatically as a fixed percentage of each day's card takings until an agreed total is repaid.
£3k to £500k · 24 to 72 hours
Invoice finance
A facility that advances most of an invoice's value as soon as it is raised, with the balance paid over when your customer settles, less the lender's charges.
80–90% of ledger · 1 to 3 weeks to set up
Trade finance
Short-term funding secured against a specific transaction — the goods, the purchase order and the receivable — that pays your supplier now and is repaid when your customer pays you.
£25k to £5m per cycle · 2 to 4 weeks to set up
Where we will point you elsewhere
Personal residential mortgages, personal loans, equity release and consumer credit sit outside commercial broking, and pension-led funding and equity investment need a regulated adviser.
Mention it on the first call and we will point you to someone good. We would rather you got the right advice than that we kept the file.