Editorial ranking
Business loans without a personal guarantee: UK lenders
Editorial UK lender rankings from desk research, post-decline options included. FundBiz does not run a credit check. Where a lender publishes a decision or funding time, it is shown in the ranking below.
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Yes, a UK limited company can get business funding without a personal guarantee (a director's promise to repay the debt themselves if the company can't), but it is rare. Of the providers we checked on 19 October 2026, two say on their own sites that they don't ask for one: Wayflyer, for its UK small business loans and other financing, and Got Capital, for its revenue-based funding advances. Neither is an ordinary bank loan: both decide on your sales and trading data and charge one fixed fee, and Got Capital says it does not offer loans at all. Allica Bank, iwoca and OakNorth ask for a guarantee on their business loans, or say it is common. This FundBiz ranking assesses 2 UK lenders for "business loans without a personal guarantee: uk lenders", weighting primarily on lends without a personal guarantee (50%), transparency (20%), eligibility breadth (15%) (see the full weighted criteria below).
Scores are our own desk-research assessment built from the FCA Register, Companies House filings and each lender's published product criteria, not customer reviews and not paid placement. Lenders don't pay for inclusion or rankings. If you send an enquiry, we pass it to one of the finance partners we work with, and we may be paid by the finance partners we introduce you to, by a fixed fee or commission depending on the partner and the finance arranged. It does not change what you pay.
Source: FundBiz methodology. Editorial by Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).
Founder & Managing Director, Muswell Rose, FundBiz
Adam is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose and a founder of Best Business Loans Ltd, the company behind FundBiz. His background runs through commercial finance, mortgages and fintech, including as managing director of an invoice finance business. He oversees FundBiz's guides and lender reviews.
AI-assisted check
- 1. Wayflyer
Fixed-fee cash advance or term loan for growing businesses · £10k to £20m (its own figure) · Approval in hours; a decision in as little as 24 hours (its own figures)
Says on its UK site that it doesn't ask for personal guarantees. Wayflyer Small Business Loans go up to £1m for businesses trading 12 months or more with £10,000 or more in monthly sales. Its wider financing runs from £10,000 to £20m and asks for 6 months of trading. One fixed fee, agreed before you accept (its own example: a £7,200 fee on £100,000).
Our assessment: Transparency: strong · Eligibility breadth: strong · Decision speed: approval in hours; a decision in as little as 24 hours, its own figures.
Read full Wayflyer review → - 2. Got Capital
Revenue-based business funding advance · £2k to £300k (its FAQ; its headline says from £1k) · Decision and funding within 24 hours, says Got Capital (funds 1 to 24 hours after approval)
Says you don't need a personal guarantee for its business funding advance. Got Capital says it does not offer loans: this is an advance against future revenue. Its FAQ gives £2,000 to £300,000 (its headline says from £1,000), for businesses trading 3 months or more with at least £5,000 a month in revenue (higher for some industries); it prefers 12 months of trading above £100,000.
Got Capital says it is not authorised or regulated by the FCA and the Financial Ombudsman Service can't consider complaints about it.
Our assessment: Transparency: average · Eligibility breadth: top tier · Decision speed: decision and funding within 24 hours, says Got Capital, funds 1 to 24 hours after approval.
Read full Got Capital review →
Side-by-side comparison
| Lender | Typical rate | Ticket | Decision | Best for | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayflyer | One fixed fee, agreed before you accept (its own example: £7,200 on £100,000) | £10k to £20m (its own figure) | Approval in hours; a decision in as little as 24 hours (its own figures) | Ecommerce, wholesale, retail, software and services Ltds with 6+ months of trading and £10,000+ monthly sales | Lender's site | |
| Got Capital | Factor fee, quoted at offer | £2k to £300k (its FAQ; its headline says from £1k) | Decision and funding within 24 hours, says Got Capital (funds 1 to 24 hours after approval) | Ltd companies, LLPs and partnerships of four or more partners that don't want to give a personal guarantee | Got Capital site |
Source links go to the lender's own site, or to the page the figures on that row come from. Checked is the date we last checked them. Figures change, so confirm with the lender before you rely on one.
Can a limited company get a business loan without a personal guarantee?
Yes, but only from a small number of providers, and not usually as an ordinary bank loan. Wayflyer says it doesn't ask for personal guarantees on its UK small business loans (up to £1m, 12 months' trading, £10,000 or more in monthly sales). Got Capital says you don't need one for its funding advance (£2,000 to £300,000, 3 months' trading, £5,000 or more a month in revenue).
Both look at your sales and trading data instead. Allica Bank and iwoca ask for a director's guarantee on their business loans. FundBiz covers limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of four or more partners. Sole traders are outside our scope and are personally liable for business debts anyway.
What is a personal guarantee on a business loan?
A personal guarantee is a signed promise by a director (or another person) to repay the company's debt from their own money if the company can't. It sits outside the protection of a limited company, so a lender can chase the guarantor for what is owed, up to the limit in the guarantee.
Some guarantees are capped at a set amount; others are not. Read the cap and what it covers before you sign. GOV.UK's director information hub says: "As with any legal or financial decision, you should consider getting independent specialist advice before proceeding."
Will the personal guarantee credit check show on my personal file?
It can. Funding Circle says that if a business loan needs a personal guarantee, "a record of the loan may also show up on the business owner's personal credit report". It also says lenders typically check the personal credit of the directors who give the guarantee.
For limited companies that apply with Funding Circle, it says the hard search only appears if you accept the loan. Other lenders run their own checks, so ask each one which search it runs on you, and when, before you apply.
Which lenders ask for a personal guarantee?
Most of the business lenders we checked. Allica Bank says its business loans are secured by a personal guarantee from the directors who are the company's ultimate beneficial owners (the people who own or control it). iwoca says its business loans require a personal guarantee from at least one company director.
OakNorth's secured loans page says it is common for lenders to ask for a director's guarantee. Funding Circle tells borrowers to sign and return a personal guarantee if one is required, and doesn't say on that page when it is.
Can I get a commercial mortgage without a personal guarantee?
Sometimes, because the property itself is the main security. Allica Bank says a first legal charge over the property is always needed (this lets the lender sell it if the loan isn't repaid) and that it may ask for personal guarantees or other security, which it confirms when it makes an offer.
For owner-occupied hotels, Allica's criteria say a personal guarantee is needed for any amount above 70% of the property's vacant possession value. That rule is Allica's own; other lenders set their own. Ask each lender for its guarantee terms in writing before you apply.
What do lenders ask for instead of a personal guarantee?
They protect themselves another way. That can be a legal charge over property, a debenture (a charge over the company's assets, so the lender can claim them if the company fails), or the right to take a share of future sales, as with Got Capital's advance.
Wayflyer and Got Capital decide on your trading data. Wayflyer charges one fixed fee and Got Capital one factor fee, both shown before you commit. A fixed fee repaid over a few months can cost much more per year than the same fee on a longer loan, so compare the total amount you repay, how quickly, and any security asked for, not just whether a guarantee is needed.
How do I get a business loan without a personal guarantee?
Start with funding that is backed by something other than you: your sales, your card takings, a property or the equipment you are buying. Check the provider's own site says it doesn't ask for a personal guarantee, then ask for this in writing for your case.
365 Business Finance, for example, says it needs no security but doesn't say whether it asks for a guarantee. Read the agreement for any guarantee or indemnity (a promise to cover the lender's losses, which can work like a guarantee) before you sign, and take independent legal advice if one is asked for.
Check whether the provider is regulated: Got Capital, for example, says it is not authorised or regulated by the FCA, and that the Financial Ombudsman Service can't consider a complaint about it.
How we ranked these
We weight lends without a personal guarantee (50%), transparency (20%), eligibility breadth (15%), decision speed (10%), decline handling (5%). Rankings reflect our published editorial methodology, not any commercial arrangement. The full basis is in our methodology, linked below.
Methodology weights
Weights specific to "Business loans without a personal guarantee: UK lenders":
- Lends without a personal guarantee50%
- Transparency20%
- Eligibility breadth15%
- Decision speed10%
- Decline handling5%
Read the full methodology for how we score and rank the lenders we review.
Also considered
- 365 Business Finance: says no security is needed for its card-sales funding (£10,000 to £500,000, 6 months' trading, £10,000 or more a month in card sales), but its site doesn't say whether a personal guarantee applies, so ask in writing
- Allica Bank commercial mortgages: a first legal charge on the property is always needed and Allica says it may ask for personal guarantees. Its business loans always need one from the directors who own the company
- OakNorth (loans from £1m): its secured loans page says lenders commonly ask for a director's personal guarantee, so don't assume a large secured deal avoids one
- Square Cash Advance: says no personal guarantee is needed, but it is only for Square customers set up as sole traders or partnerships, so a limited company or LLP can't use it
Not for
Limited companies that need an ordinary term loan from a bank or mainstream online lender: Allica Bank and iwoca ask for a guarantee on their business loans. Also not for sole traders, who are already personally liable for business debts and are outside FundBiz's scope.
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Tell us what you need in 2 minutes. FundBiz is not a lender and does not run a credit check. It's free and there's no obligation. For limited companies, LLPs and partnerships with four or more partners.
Send an enquiry →FundBiz is owned and operated by Best Business Loans Ltd, directed by Oliver Mackman. Editorial by Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).