Sale and leaseback is the simplest idea in asset finance: sell what you own to a funder, hire it back, and carry on exactly as before.
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Sale and leaseback is an arrangement where a business sells equipment it owns outright to a funder and immediately takes that same equipment back on hire. The business receives the sale proceeds as cash and keeps the asset in daily use throughout — nothing is collected, moved or switched off. Ownership changes on paper only. It applies to assets held free of any existing agreement, and the sale price reflects current trade value rather than original cost. It is a way of converting equity locked inside equipment into usable working capital.
Used kit: Yes — assets many years old still qualify, because what governs the outcome is the strength of the used market for that specific asset, not the date on the invoice.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
The mechanics are simple but the underwriting is not automatic. A funder starts from clear title: the asset must be owned outright, with an invoice in the business name, proof of payment, a serial number and no charge sitting over it. An inspection is routine on anything substantial. The value used is trade value, not book value and certainly not purchase price, and the gap between the two is where most conversations get uncomfortable. Funders also interrogate purpose. Sale and leaseback to fund an expansion is well received; the same request to service pressing creditors is read as a symptom and usually declined. Finally, disposing of an asset has accounting and tax consequences, including possible balancing charges on allowances already claimed, so get your accountant involved before committing.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| CAT 950M wheeled loader | Wheeled loading shovel owned outright |
| Komatsu WA320 wheeled loader | Yard loading shovel |
| Scania R450 tractor unit | HGV tractor unit owned outright |
| DAF XF 480 tractor unit | Owned HGV tractor unit |
| Mazak Integrex i-200 | Multi tasking turning and milling centre |
| Haas VF-3 machining centre | CNC machining centre owned outright |
| Toyota Tonero forklift fleet | Owned forklift fleet |
| John Deere 6155R tractor | Owned farm tractor |
| Volvo A30G articulated dumper | Articulated dump truck owned outright |
| JCB JS220 excavator | Twenty two tonne tracked excavator |
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Frequently a profitable business that bought heavily for cash in a strong year and now finds its money sitting in the yard rather than the bank. The trigger is usually an opportunity with a deadline — a site, a stock buy, an acquisition — where the equity in owned equipment is the fastest source of funds that does not dilute ownership.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Not in practice. You hire it back under an agreement that keeps it in your possession and your operation for the duration. You maintain it, insure it and use it as before. Legal ownership sits with the funder, which is what makes the cash release possible.
Because the funder is lending against what the asset would realise in the trade today, and most equipment depreciates faster than owners expect. It is the single most common surprise in this type of funding, and it is worth checking used market prices before setting expectations.
Because purpose predicts repayment. Money raised to fund growth, buy stock or complete an acquisition has an identifiable return behind it. Money raised to plug an ongoing shortfall usually means the shortfall reappears, and funders decline those rather than lend into them.
Often yes, and recent purchases sometimes raise proportionally more because depreciation has not bitten. What matters is that it was bought outright and paid for. If it went on finance and is still being paid, there is no equity to sell.
There are consequences to disposing of an asset, which may include balancing charges where capital allowances were claimed, and there are accounting effects on how the asset is presented. It depends entirely on your circumstances, so speak to your accountant before you sign.
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See everything we fund in asset refinance and sale and leaseback →
Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
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