Yes. Sole traders, subcontractors and one-person limited companies arrange van finance every day. Lenders want to see who you are and how you earn, which usually means bank statements, accounts or SA302s, proof of address and details of the van. A short trading history makes placement harder, not impossible. Every decision sits with the lender.
Expect the focus to be on affordability and stability rather than the size of the business. Helpful evidence includes several months of business bank statements, a clean recent payment record, a settled address and a clear picture of the work the van will do. A deposit strengthens a marginal case, because it reduces the amount the lender has at stake.
One point worth understanding if you trade as a sole trader or in a partnership. Because you are an individual in law rather than a company, some agreements can fall inside the FCA’s consumer credit regime while others sit outside it, depending on the amount borrowed and the purpose. Broadly, borrowing above £25,000 wholly for business purposes falls outside the regulated regime, and smaller amounts may not — but thresholds and exemptions change, so check the current position rather than relying on a figure you remember. Where an agreement is regulated, you gain extra statutory rights around information, early settlement and termination. That is a protection for you, not an obstacle. Finance to an incorporated business for business use is normally unregulated commercial lending.
Newly self-employed applicants are the tightest category. Some funders want two full years of trading; others will consider fewer, particularly where there is a deposit, a demonstrable contract or a personal guarantee. A guarantee means your own assets are at risk if the business cannot pay, so treat it as a serious commitment rather than a formality.
Nothing here is a promise of acceptance. What a broker adds is knowing which of our 60+ lenders actually writes self-employed business, so you are not making speculative applications and marking your credit file in the process. We charge you no broker fee — we are paid a commission by the lender if an agreement completes.