Machine finance is available to UK businesses through an FCA-regulated broker. Not every business qualifies, and the rules are specific rather than a matter of judgement, so the quickest thing we can do is tell you straight away whether you do.
Two questions. Nothing is submitted and nothing is stored. This runs entirely in your browser.
Finance is available to UK businesses only. A limited company can be funded on any machine in the range. A sole trader can only be funded where the amount borrowed is more than £25,000, and the deposit does not count towards that figure.
That threshold is not the broker being awkward. A credit agreement above £25,000 entered into wholly or predominantly for business purposes is an exempt agreement under section 16B of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Below the line, a sole trader is treated as an individual and the agreement becomes regulated consumer credit, which this lender panel does not write. A limited company sits outside the Consumer Credit Act altogether, which is why it has no floor.
The practical effect is worth seeing plainly, because it decides which machines are open to you:
| Machine | Price | Deposit | Amount financed | Limited company | Sole trader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200W | £6,650 | £500 | £6,150 | Eligible | £18,850 short |
| 300W | £7,800 | £500 | £7,300 | Eligible | £17,700 short |
| 500W | £16,900 | £1,000 | £15,900 | Eligible | £9,100 short |
| 1000W | £30,900 | £2,000 | £28,900 | Eligible | Eligible |
| 1500W | £51,300 | £2,500 | £48,800 | Eligible | Eligible |
| 2000W | £73,400 | £3,000 | £70,400 | Eligible | Eligible |
You have three honest routes, and which one is right depends on the business rather than on us:
Business name, which machine, and roughly what you are looking for. That is all we need, and all we ask for.
We introduce you to Finance Market Watch and they arrange a call. The application is theirs, not ours, and they take your details directly.
Terms depend on the business, the lender and the amount. Nothing is agreed until you have seen it in writing.
The broker asks for the following. We are listing it so the call is short, not so you send it to us. Please do not put any of it in the form below.
No. LaserStrip is not a lender and is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. We introduce you to Finance Market Watch Ltd, an Appointed Representative of Swoop Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA as a credit broker under firm reference number 936513. Finance Market Watch is a credit broker and not a lender.
No. This panel funds UK businesses only, which in practice means limited companies and sole traders. If you are not trading yet, hiring a machine is the usual route, and it carries none of these rules.
Because the Consumer Credit Act 1974 protects individuals, and a sole trader is an individual in law. Above £25,000 a business-purpose agreement is exempt under section 16B and the panel can write it. Below that it is regulated consumer credit, which they do not do. A limited company is not an individual, so the Act does not apply to it at all.
No. The threshold applies to the amount actually borrowed. A 1000W at £30,900 with a £2,000 deposit is £28,900 financed, which clears it. The same machine with a much larger deposit might not.
The broker will tell you before anything is run. A quotation search and a full application search are different things, and they will explain which is which at the point it matters. We are not in that conversation.
No, and it would be wrong to suggest otherwise. This page tells you whether you meet the entry criteria for the panel. Whether finance is offered, and on what terms, depends on the lender assessing your business. All finance is subject to status and lender criteria.
Six fields. We pass them to Finance Market Watch, who arrange the call and take it from there.
We reply within one business day. Your details go to Finance Market Watch for the purpose of this enquiry and are not shared further.