UK specialty finance guides
Plain-English guides to the specialty finance products UK limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of 4+ actually use. Each guide explains how the product works, what it costs and when it fits, with no fabricated lender data.
- Business Loan Declined? What to Do Next, Step by StepA calm, ordered plan after a business loan is declined: get the reason, protect your credit file, and match it to the right specialist route.
- 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 p...
- 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 does not 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 does not 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 is 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 reviewed: 2026-05-27. Editorial by Oliver Mackman.