Business finance for tradespeople
A plumber, an electrician or a builder needs three things funded, usually in this order: the van, the kit, and the weeks between finishing a job and being paid. 32 of the 38 asset finance lenders on our panel fund vans, 33 fund plant, and 39 of 55 unsecured lenders will lend to a director who rents rather than owns. The counts are here because most pages on this subject leave them out.
We arrange finance for UK limited companies, LLPs, sole traders and partnerships through the lenders whose criteria fit a trade business at your stage, and we say which of the three routes above is real for you. Free to you, and nothing goes anywhere without your say-so.
The trades panel in numbers
Distinct lenders on our panel with a live product for each feature.
32
of 38 asset finance lenders fund vans and light commercial vehicles
33
fund construction plant
15
fund scaffolding stock
25
offer a VAT deferral on hire purchase
39
of 55 unsecured lenders lend to directors who are not homeowners
21
unsecured lenders accept a business trading under a year
24
unsecured lenders accept defaults or CCJs older than two years
5
unsecured lenders will consider a start-up
Counts are distinct lenders on our panel with at least one live product matching the criterion, checked September 2026. Panel composition changes over time, and meeting a criterion is not an offer: every case is subject to the lender's own checks.
What decides a trades case
The van first
It is the easiest thing to finance because the lender can take it back. A new or nearly new van from a dealer, a deposit of 10 to 20 percent and a director who will sign a guarantee is a case most of the asset panel will look at, even in the first year.
You, more than the business
With thin accounts the lender underwrites the person: your credit file, how long you have worked in the trade, and whether you own your home. Years with an employer in the same trade count for something; say so.
How you get paid
Card on the doorstep and deposits up front mean a cash advance or an unsecured loan for working capital. Thirty-day terms with builders mean invoice finance. Applications for payment and retentions mean the construction specialists.
Months traded
Zero, six, twelve, twenty-four. 5 unsecured lenders consider a start-up, 21 accept under a year, and the whole panel opens at two years of accounts. If you are at ten months, the van can be financed now and the loan can wait for the statements.
The panel behind this page
Trades cases go to the 32 asset finance lenders that fund vans and the 33 that fund plant, and to the unsecured and invoice finance lenders whose trading-age and homeowner rules fit, part of 200+ lenders across all products. That range matters more than any single rate: the lender that suits a five-year-old limited company with clean accounts is rarely the one that suits a seasonal business or a director with a past blip, and a broker with a shallow panel has to force your case into whichever box it holds.
Names you may recognise on the panel
Examples from our panel as at September 2026, not an endorsement of any lender and not the full list. We check criteria first and put your case only to lenders whose requirements you fit. The full panel by product is in our lender directory, and how we choose is set out on our how we work page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get van finance if I have only just gone self-employed?▼
Often, because the lender holds the van. 32 of the 38 asset finance lenders on our panel fund light commercial vehicles, and for a new business the underwriting shifts to you: your own credit file, a deposit of 10 to 20 percent, and a guarantee. A tradesperson who has done the same work for an employer for years is a stronger case than the trading history suggests. Figures checked September 2026; panel composition changes over time.
I rent my home. Does that rule me out?▼
No. 39 of the 55 unsecured lenders on our panel lend to a director who is not a homeowner, and asset finance on a van cares about the van more than the house. Homeowner status narrows the list rather than closing it.
Can I finance tools and equipment, not just the van?▼
Yes, if the kit has a resale value: plant, generators, scaffold, larger power tools and workshop machinery. 33 lenders on our panel fund construction plant and 15 fund scaffolding stock. Hand tools and consumables do not finance on their own; they come out of working capital, which is an unsecured loan or, if you take card payments on the doorstep, a cash advance sized on the takings.
What about the gap between finishing a job and being paid?▼
For domestic work, a card machine and a deposit up front solve most of it. For contract work on 30-day terms with builders or commercial clients, 20 invoice finance lenders on our panel advance most of each invoice when it is raised. Construction contracts with applications for payment and retentions are funded by a shorter list, so say early if that is how you are paid.
I had a CCJ a few years ago. Is that a problem?▼
Less than you might expect. 24 unsecured lenders on our panel accept defaults or CCJs older than two years, and 14 asset finance lenders accept adverse credit on the business. A recent one narrows the field more. Either way, tell us before we go to a lender, because a declined application is a hard search you did not need.
Do you work with sole traders?▼
Yes. We work with sole traders and partnerships as well as limited companies and LLPs for business loans, asset finance, invoice finance and merchant cash advances. Property-secured lending (commercial mortgages, bridging, development and buy-to-let) is for limited companies and LLPs only. Lender criteria differ by structure, so tell us how you trade and we will go to the right part of the panel.
Is finance for a tradesperson regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority?▼
Lending to a limited company or LLP for business purposes is generally unregulated. Lending to a sole trader or a small partnership can be regulated consumer credit, which is one reason the paperwork differs. 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 work with UK limited companies, LLPs, sole traders and partnerships.
Related guides
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.
Counts describe the products on our panel, not an offer; the lender's own checks on the vehicle, the business and the director decide any individual case.
Registered office: Pure Offices, Lake View Drive, Annesley, Nottingham, NG15 0DT. Company No. 14433858.
Tell us the trade and the stage
What you do, how long you have been at it, whether you own your home, and what needs funding first. We say which lenders fit and in what order to do it.