UK specialty finance guides
Plain-English guides to the specialty finance products UK limited companies, LLPs and partnerships with four or more partners actually use. Each guide explains how the product works, what it costs and when it fits, with no fabricated lender data.
- From Application to Funds: The Process by ProductThe 6 stages between applying for UK business finance and funds landing, and how the median time to an indicative decision differs by product.
- Asset Finance Applications: A Step-by-Step UK GuideApplying for asset finance in the UK involves choosing the right product, gathering supporting documents, and working through a lender's credit assessme...
- Bridging Finance Exit Strategies: A UK SME GuideA bridging loan is a short-term secured facility, typically 1 to 24 months, used to fund property purchases, refurbishments or cash-flow gaps before a l...
- Business Partner Signed a Personal Guarantee: Am I Liable?Whether a personal guarantee a partner signed binds you depends on the structure. How liability differs for partnerships versus limited companies.
- Can a Late Companies House Filing Call In My Loan?A late filing rarely calls in a loan alone, but it can breach a covenant and warns lenders. How loan covenants and events of default work, and the real risk.
- Commercial Mortgage: Documents, Timeline and FeesA commercial mortgage lets a UK limited company, LLP or partnership purchase or refinance business premises using the property as security. Applications...
- Commercial Mortgage Rates Explained for UK SMEsCommercial mortgage rates in the UK are priced as a margin above a base rate or SONIA, and the rate you receive depends on loan-to-value, property type,...
- Who FundBiz Lends To: Ltd, LLP and Partnership RulesFundBiz arranges specialty finance exclusively for UK limited companies, limited liability partnerships and traditional partnerships with four or more partners p...
- Home equity or business finance: which should fund your business?Releasing equity from your home and business finance solve the same cash need differently. How the two routes compare on speed, security, cost and risk.
- Is business lending regulated by the FCA?Most lending to limited companies is not FCA-regulated. How the regulatory perimeter works, which borrowers get consumer-credit protection, and why it matters.
- MCA Eligibility: What UK SMEs Need to QualifyA merchant cash advance suits UK businesses that take card payments regularly. Lenders assess your monthly card turnover rather than credit scores alone...
- MCA vs Invoice Finance: Which Suits Your Cash FlowMerchant cash advance and invoice finance both release cash quickly, but they work on different mechanics. MCA advances a lump sum repaid as a fixed per...
- MCA Factor Rates: What UK Businesses Actually PayA merchant cash advance uses a factor rate, not an interest rate, to set the total repayment amount. For UK limited companies and LLPs that take card pa...
- MCA Repayments: How the Split Works in PracticeA merchant cash advance is repaid through an automatic percentage of your daily or weekly card takings, not fixed monthly instalments. This means repaym...
- Refused Business Finance? Your Next Steps ExplainedA decline from a bank or mainstream lender doesn't close all funding routes for UK limited companies, LLPs and partnerships. Specialist lenders assess ...
- R&D Advance Finance: Fund Your Tax Credit EarlyAn R&D advance lets UK limited companies borrow against an outstanding HMRC R&D tax credit claim, typically receiving 70 to 85 percent of the expected r...
- VAT Loans: How They Work With a Worked ExampleA VAT loan lets a UK business borrow the exact amount of a VAT liability, pay HMRC on time, then repay the lender in monthly instalments over three to t...
- Will a personal guarantee put my house at risk?A personal guarantee doesn't automatically put your home at risk, but it can. How a PG becomes a claim on your house, and how to limit the exposure.
- Merchant Cash Advance Explained for UK SMEsHow an MCA works, factor rates versus APR, hold-back percentages and who an MCA suits.
- Asset Finance Explained: HP, Leases and RefinanceHire purchase, finance lease, operating lease and refinance compared on ownership, cost and balance-sheet treatment.
- Bridging Finance: Regulated vs Unregulated ExplainedWhen bridging applies, the regulated versus unregulated split, and the exit strategies lenders expect to see.
- VAT Loans Explained: Fund Your VAT BillHow a VAT loan spreads a quarterly VAT bill, what it costs, and when it beats HMRC Time to Pay.
- Term Loan vs Invoice Finance vs MCA: Which Fits YouThree working-capital routes compared on shape, cost and fit, with a five-question decision framework.
- Asset-Backed vs Unsecured Business LoansHow each is priced, the sizes available, and when a charge over assets beats a credit-led unsecured loan.
- Acquisition Bridging Without PropertyFunding a business purchase against plant, stock, contracts or guarantees when there's no freehold to charge.
- Supply Chain Finance for UK B2B BuyersHow reverse factoring releases working capital for buyers, when it pays back, and the reporting risks.
- Business Finance With a CCJHow specialist lenders treat a County Court Judgment, who engages, and the steps to take before applying.
- Business Finance in Your First Year of TradingThe lenders that engage with sub-12-month trading, and what an early-stage company needs to show them.
- Business Finance During and After an IVAHow an Individual Voluntary Arrangement affects director-led applications, and the realistic routes afterwards.
- Overdrawn Director's Loan Account: Refinance OptionsWhat S455 charges after the April 2026 rise to 35.75%, and the refinance versus absorb decision.
Related reading from the blog
Shorter, focused pieces that go deeper on a single decision or cost.
- MCA factor rates explained: converting to APR Turn a merchant cash advance factor rate into an annualised cost you can compare with a term loan.
- Equipment refinance: releasing capital from owned assets How sale-and-leaseback frees cash trapped in plant and machinery you already own.
- VAT loans: when to use them and what they cost Spreading a quarterly VAT bill, the fees involved, and when it beats HMRC Time to Pay.
Unfamiliar with a term? The business finance glossary defines the language used across these guides. The full archive is on the FundBiz blog.
Last updated: . Editorial by Oliver Mackman.