For most owner-managed acquisitions it matters a great deal. Lenders assess the person taking control as well as the business being bought, so your personal credit file, any adverse history such as CCJs, defaults or bankruptcy, and often your assets and income all form part of the picture. Personal guarantees make that scrutiny sharper still.
Weight varies with the deal. Where the target business has a long, strong trading record and the funding is well secured, the buyer’s personal history is one factor among several. Where the buyer is stepping into a trade for the first time, or the borrowing is largely unsecured, it becomes central.
Relevant experience often counts alongside credit history. Lenders are more comfortable with someone acquiring a business in a trade they know than with a buyer entering an unfamiliar sector, however tidy their credit file.
If your history is imperfect, it does not automatically end the conversation, but it narrows the options and usually affects the price. Being upfront about it early saves wasted applications, each of which can leave a footprint.
Acquisition funding is structured with corporate finance and legal advice, which CW Asset Finance does not provide. Where the deal includes vehicles, plant or equipment, we can approach lenders on our panel about funding those assets. We are a broker, not a lender, and cannot promise any outcome.