How long does asset finance take?

Updated September 2026

On a clean case, a decision comes back in 24 to 48 hours and the supplier is paid within a week or two of the proposal going in. That is the pattern across the 38 asset finance lenders on our panel for a new van, a machine from a dealer or a piece of kit with a proper invoice behind it, bought by a business with filed accounts and a director willing to sign a guarantee.

The calendar stretches when the asset is unusual or the seller is not a dealer. Older machinery, a private seller, an auction purchase or a lender that wants its own inspection each add days, sometimes a week. The steps below show where the time goes and which of them you control.

What happens between the enquiry and the delivery

Six steps, and only two of them sit with the lender. The rest depend on how quickly you, the supplier and the director can produce what is asked for.

Step	Who it sits with	Typical time on a clean case
Proposal: the asset, the price, the term and the deposit, with your last accounts and recent bank statements	You, with us	Same day once the supplier quote exists
Credit decision	The lender	24 to 48 hours; some lenders answer the same day on small, mainstream kit
Documents: the agreement, director identity checks and the personal guarantee	You and the director	A day if signed electronically; longer if a second director is abroad
Supplier invoice made out to the lender, and any inspection the lender wants	The supplier, the lender	A day for a dealer; a week or more for a private seller or a valuation
Payout to the supplier	The lender	Usually within a working day of the signed documents and the invoice
Delivery	The supplier	Whatever the supplier's lead time is; the finance does not shorten it

Why a decision is fast on asset finance

The lender holds the asset. If the payments stop it takes the van or the machine back, so it underwrites the kit and the director alongside the accounts rather than relying on the accounts alone. Mainstream, easily resold assets, such as vans, cars, telehandlers and standard machinery, get the quickest yes because the lender already knows what it would fetch. That is also why a business trading under a year, which an unsecured lender would turn away, can still get a van financed against a deposit and a guarantee.

The deposit sits between nothing and 20 percent on most agreements; on hire purchase the lender commonly asks for the VAT plus around 10 percent up front, and 25 of the 38 lenders on our panel will defer the VAT so you reclaim it before you pay it. Sorting the deposit and the VAT position before the proposal goes in removes the most common reason a signed deal waits.

What adds days

In rough order of how often we see it slow a deal down.

A private seller instead of a dealer. Only 10 of our 38 asset finance lenders will fund a purchase from a private individual, and those that do want proof of ownership and usually an inspection.
Older machinery. 15 lenders fund older kit; the rest have age limits at the end of the term. A twelve-year-old excavator goes to a shorter list and often needs a valuation.
Auction purchases. The hammer falls before the finance is agreed, so the lender is asked to fund an asset it has not seen at a price that is already fixed. Some lenders will, with a short window; tell us before the sale, not after.
Accounts that are late or thin. A lender can underwrite a strong director and a mainstream asset without much history, but unfiled accounts at Companies House stop most of them.
Second signatures. A guarantee from a director who is away, or a co-director who has not been told, is the most avoidable delay on the list.
Specialist assets. Aviation, marine and bespoke plant go to a handful of lenders (seven and six on our panel for aircraft and boats) and are priced and inspected individually.

What the panel says

Counts are distinct lenders on our panel with a live product for each feature, checked September 2026. They describe the panel, not an offer to you, and composition changes over time.

38 asset finance lenders in total.
32 fund vans and light commercial vehicles, 33 construction plant, 32 agricultural machinery, 31 factory plant.
25 offer a VAT deferral; 10 fund private sales; 15 fund older machinery.
26 fund medical and dental equipment, 20 restaurant and bar kit, 23 gym equipment.

How to make it take a week rather than a month

Have the supplier quote in the company name before you enquire, with the VAT shown separately. Send the last filed accounts and three months of statements with the proposal rather than after the first question. Tell every director who will be asked to sign a guarantee before the documents arrive. And say at the outset if the seller is private, the kit is old or the sale is at auction, because those three decide which lenders can look at it at all.

We arrange finance for UK limited companies, LLPs, sole traders and partnerships through the asset finance lenders whose criteria fit the asset and the business, and we say before anything is submitted which of the steps above is likely to take the time. This page is general information, not advice.

Frequently asked questions

Can asset finance be done in 24 hours?

A decision, yes, on small mainstream kit from a dealer for an established company. Payout in 24 hours is rarer because the signed agreement, the director checks and the supplier invoice all have to land first. A week from proposal to payout is a good result; two is normal.

Does the supplier have to wait for the money before delivering?

Usually. The lender pays the supplier directly against an invoice in the lender's name, and most suppliers release the asset on receipt. If the supplier needs a deposit to order stock, that is normally your deposit under the agreement, paid to the supplier and shown on the invoice.

Is it slower for a new company?

Not necessarily. The lender leans on the asset and the director rather than the accounts, so a director with a clean file buying a mainstream van can move as fast as an established firm. Where it slows is the personal side: identity checks, proof of address and the guarantee.

What if I have already bought the asset?

That is a refinance rather than a purchase, and a different list of lenders. It is possible on plant and vehicles you own outright, against a valuation, but it is not a way to speed up a purchase that is already done. Ask before you pay the supplier.

Tell us what you are buying

The asset, the seller, the price and how long you have traded. We say which lenders fit and what will take the time, before anything is submitted.

Check your options

Sources

Checked September 2026. Timings describe clean cases on our panel; a lender's own checks decide any individual case.

Important information

CapExpand Ltd (FRN 1060885) is an Appointed Representative of White Rose Finance Group Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630772). We are a credit broker, not a lender, and we do not provide financial, tax or legal advice. We work with a panel of lenders whose particulars are available on request. If a deal completes the lender pays us a commission, at no cost to you; different lenders pay different amounts under different models, and we will tell you the amount for your deal on request. All lending is subject to status, valuation where applicable and the lender's own checks.

Registered office: Pure Offices, Lake View Drive, Annesley, Nottingham, NG15 0DT. Company No. 14433858.