Funding for the equipment your practice runs on, spreading the cost across the period the asset earns rather than taking it out of working capital in one go.
What we fund
- Dental equipment: chairs, CBCT and imaging, CAD/CAM, decontamination
- Medical imaging and diagnostics: ultrasound, X-ray, analysers
- Pharmacy dispensing robotics and automation
- Aesthetic and laser equipment
- Veterinary surgical, imaging and laboratory equipment
- Optical testing and edging equipment
- Practice IT, software and management systems
- Fit-out, furniture and non-clinical equipment
Hire purchase or lease
The two main structures do different things, and the right choice depends on whether you want to own the asset at the end and how quickly it becomes obsolete.
Hire purchase spreads the cost and you own the equipment at the end of the agreement. It suits assets with a long useful life and good residual value, such as a dental chair or a surgical table.
Finance and operating leases keep you using the asset without owning it, which can suit technology that moves quickly and needs replacing rather than keeping. Payments and treatment differ from hire purchase in ways that affect your accounts and tax position.
We will set out the practical difference for the specific asset rather than defaulting to whichever the supplier happens to offer.
Indicative terms
- Facility sizes: from a few thousand pounds for small-ticket equipment up to £10m for professional practices and corporates. Independent funders commonly write to around £500,000 over 18 to 84 months.
- Speed: underwriting decisions in hours rather than days on straightforward cases, with same-day payout once documents are returned.
- Healthcare equipment eligibility: typically a UK limited company, PLC, LLP, sole trader or partnership, with around three years’ trading for imaging and diagnostic assets. Small-ticket equipment is often available on shorter histories.
- Refinance: available on both encumbered and unencumbered assets, releasing capital without new property security.
- Security: agreements are secured against the asset itself, so no other company property or premises is put at risk.
Sole traders and small partnerships: agreements of £25,000 or less with a sole trader, or with a partnership of two or three partners, are regulated consumer credit even when used for business. We cannot arrange those. Above that level, or for limited companies and LLPs of any size, the finance is non-regulated and we can help.
Asset refinance and sale and leaseback
If your practice already owns equipment outright, that capital is sitting idle. Refinancing existing assets releases it for other purposes, such as a deposit towards a practice purchase, a fit-out or simply working capital, without taking new security over property.
It is a genuinely useful tool for equipment-heavy practices, and one that is frequently overlooked because suppliers have no reason to mention it.
Why not just use a business loan?
Sometimes a loan is right. But funding equipment through asset finance usually preserves your unsecured borrowing capacity for the things asset finance cannot cover, and the asset itself provides the security, which often means better pricing and a faster decision than an equivalent unsecured facility.
It is also frequently the most accessible route for a newer practice, because the lender’s position rests on the equipment rather than on years of trading history.
Common questions
How quickly can equipment finance complete?
Faster than property lending, often within days for straightforward cases where accounts are available. It is usually the quickest funding a practice can access.
Can I finance used or refurbished equipment?
Often yes, though the age of the asset affects both the term available and the pricing. Some funders are considerably more flexible than others on this.
Can supplier finance be beaten?
Frequently. Supplier-arranged finance is convenient but comes from a limited panel. It is worth comparing before signing, and we can do that alongside the quote you already have.
All figures are indicative and subject to lender assessment, your circumstances, valuation and prevailing market conditions. Commercial mortgages and unregulated bridging loans are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Property offered as security may be at risk if you do not keep up repayments.
This page was last reviewed in September 2026 and is next scheduled for review in March 2027. Lending criteria change frequently, so contact us for current terms rather than relying on published figures.