Small Business Loans UK
By Joshua Giles, Founder and Director · Reviewed by the CoreFi credit team
Last updated 20 July 2026
CoreFi is a broker, not a lender. We do not set rates and lenders make all credit decisions.
In short: Small business loans give UK limited companies £5k to £250k, usually unsecured, priced off your turnover and bank statements rather than your credit score alone. Specialist lenders decide fast, often in a day or two once statements are in. We match you to the ones who will genuinely consider your business, for free.
Most small business loans in this range are unsecured: the lender reads your last 3 to 6 months of bank statements, checks turnover against a minimum (often somewhere around £5k to £10k a month), and decides. No property charge, no lengthy underwriting pack. The trade-off is cost. Unsecured pricing sits above secured because the lender has nothing to fall back on except a director personal guarantee, so it prices for that.
Repayment is usually monthly over 1 to 5 years. Some lenders instead quote a factor rate with daily or weekly collections, which changes how the real cost stacks up, so when you compare offers, ask for the total amount repayable rather than the monthly figure. A low monthly number over a long term can cost far more than a higher one over a short one.
We place these loans across a panel of non-bank and challenger lenders. The high street is rarely the answer at this size: appetite for sub-£250k unsecured SME lending has shrunk at the big banks, and their timelines do not suit a business that needs the money this month. The specialist B2B lenders are the ones who move, and once statements are in, most can turn a decision around in a working day or two.
Newer companies have it harder, and we would rather tell you that upfront. Under six months of trading cuts your options sharply, and a chunk of lenders will not look at you at all under twelve months. We will be straight about who is a realistic fit rather than fire your application at lenders who will decline it and dent your credit file for nothing.
Key Benefits
- A director personal guarantee is the norm and usually enough on its own: no property charge for most facilities this size
- Non-bank and challenger lenders run this market and move faster than the high street, frequently deciding within a working day or two of seeing statements
- Turnover carries more weight than your credit score with most of these lenders: roughly £5k to £10k a month gets you in the door
- No fee to search. We are paid a commission by the lender only if a deal completes, and you know that before you start
Frequently Asked Questions
What size business qualifies?
Most lenders in this range want at least 6 months of trading and monthly turnover of roughly £5k to £10k. Under 6 months, the options thin out fast. We will tell you which lenders are a realistic fit before you apply, so you are not burning hard searches on your credit file for declines.
Is the loan secured?
Usually unsecured, so no property or asset charge. A director personal guarantee is standard, which puts the director personally on the hook if the business cannot repay. Want a larger amount or a keener rate? Putting up an asset or property as security opens up more of the panel.
How quickly can I get funded?
For a clean unsecured facility, many lenders decide within a day or two of receiving your bank statements and pay out shortly after. It hinges on how fast you can get documents over and whether the lender raises any queries. We cannot promise a timeline and neither can any broker; the payout is the lender's call.
Related Funding Options
Business Loans UK
Business loans for UK limited companies from £5k to £500k+, unsecured or secured, repaid over 1 to 6 years. We place these across a wide lender panel. No fee to search.
Working Capital Finance UK: Revolving Credit, Invoice Finance & Short-Term Loans
Working capital finance for UK businesses: revolving credit, overdraft alternatives, invoice finance and short-term loans to cover the gap between paying out and getting paid. We place these across the market every week.
Startup Business Loans UK
Early-stage commercial finance for new UK limited companies. CoreFi brokers asset finance, invoice finance & lender-backed startup facilities for incorporated businesses, and points you to the official government Start Up Loan scheme where that route fits better.
Business loans by location
Lender appetite varies by city and region. If you would rather start from where your business is based, these local guides cover the same funding with the local picture.
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Get matched with lendersCoreFi is a trading name of JG Core Ltd (Company #16218779, England & Wales). CoreFi acts as a commercial finance broker and does not provide regulated financial advice. All products described are unregulated business-to-business finance. Information on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute a formal offer of finance. Terms, rates, and availability are subject to lender criteria and may change without notice.