Frequently Asked Questions

A whole-of-market business finance broker searches every available lender and product on your behalf, rather than being tied to a panel of preferred lenders. Seven Hills Capital Group has access to the full UK lending market - banks, alternative lenders, and specialist providers - and recommends only what is right for your business, not what pays the most commission.

Comparison websites earn revenue from the lenders they feature, which influences which products they show you first. Seven Hills Capital Group is an independent FCA-regulated broker - we search the entire market with no commercial bias, assess your specific situation, and recommend the right product for your business. You also deal directly with our team throughout, not a call centre or automated system.

Yes. Seven Hills Capital Group is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a credit broker. Company registration number: 13664811. We operate in line with all FCA conduct requirements including transparent disclosure of fees and commission, acting in your best interests, and providing clear and fair information.

A credit broker introduces you to lenders and helps you find the right product, but does not lend money directly. A lender provides the actual finance. Seven Hills Capital Group is a credit broker - we search the market on your behalf and recommend the right lender for your situation. We do not hold the money or take the credit risk.

No. Seven Hills Capital Group works with businesses across the entire UK by phone and video call. Face-to-face meetings are available in Nottingham, Lincoln, Sheffield and Manchester, but the vast majority of clients are served remotely. If you are in Leeds, London, Bristol or anywhere else in the UK, our team can help you.

Seven Hills Capital Group is typically remunerated by commission from the lender, meaning there is no upfront fee charged to you. Any commission or fee arrangement will always be disclosed to you clearly before any agreement is entered into, in line with FCA conduct requirements. You can ask us directly about how we are paid at any point - transparent fee disclosure is a requirement we take seriously.

No. Seven Hills Capital Group does not charge upfront fees. We are typically remunerated by a commission from the lender when a facility is successfully arranged. This commission will always be disclosed to you clearly before you enter into any agreement, in line with FCA requirements.

Decision speed depends on the product and lender. Some products - including merchant cash advances and working capital loans - can receive initial decisions within hours. Others, such as commercial mortgages and construction finance, take longer by nature. Seven Hills Capital Group knows which lenders move quickly for which products and goes straight to the right one for your situation, avoiding the delays of approaching the wrong lender first.

Timeframes vary significantly by product. Merchant cash advances and working capital loans from alternative lenders can complete in 24 to 72 hours. Unsecured business term loans typically take 1 to 2 weeks. Commercial mortgages and development finance typically take 4 to 12 weeks depending on complexity, property and lender. Our team will give you a realistic timeline from the outset.

Yes, in many cases. High street banks apply rigid criteria and only offer their own products. As a whole-of-market broker, Seven Hills Capital Group has access to alternative lenders, specialist providers and government-backed schemes that operate with different criteria. Being refused by a bank is not the end of the road - all finance is subject to status and individual lender criteria, and we will always be honest about what is realistic for your situation.

The amount available depends entirely on the product and your individual circumstances. Working capital loans can start from as little as a few thousand pounds. Commercial mortgages and development finance can run into millions. Seven Hills Capital Group searches across the full range of funding sizes to find the right match for your requirement.

Yes, in many cases. While high street banks require 2 to 3 years of trading history, there are specialist startup lenders and government-backed schemes - including the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans scheme - that support businesses in their first 24 months. Seven Hills Capital Group has access to these options and will help you identify what is realistic for your stage of business.

Depending on the severity and nature of any adverse credit, there are lenders that will consider businesses or directors with impaired credit. Asset-based lending, invoice finance and merchant cash advances often focus more on business performance than personal credit scores. Our team will always give you an honest assessment of your options rather than creating false expectations.

This varies by product and lender, but for most applications you will typically need 3 to 6 months of business bank statements, recent filed accounts or management accounts, details of the directors and shareholders, and information about the purpose of the funding. Our team will guide you through exactly what is required for your specific application.

In many cases, yes. If you are on an uncompetitive rate, coming to the end of a fixed term, or simply want to explore whether better terms are available, our team can review your existing facility and search the market for alternatives. We will only recommend switching if it delivers a genuine benefit after all costs are accounted for.

Seven Hills Capital Group arranges a wide range of business finance products including working capital loans, invoice finance, merchant cash advances, equipment and asset finance, business term loans, acquisition finance, commercial mortgages, bridging loans, development finance, buy to let mortgages and more. If it is a legitimate UK business finance product, we can search for it.

Invoice finance allows B2B businesses to release cash tied up in unpaid invoices before the payment due date - typically up to 90% of the invoice value within 24 hours. It is well suited to businesses with long payment terms, a growing order book and a need for working capital. Our team will assess whether invoice finance - or a specific variant such as factoring or discounting - is the right solution for your business.

Asset finance allows businesses to acquire equipment, vehicles or machinery by spreading the cost over a fixed term rather than paying upfront. The asset itself typically acts as security, making it more accessible than unsecured lending. Our team searches specialist asset finance lenders to find the right structure for your needs.

A commercial mortgage is a long-term loan secured against commercial property - typically 5 to 25 years. A business loan is usually unsecured or lightly secured and has a shorter term. Commercial mortgages are used to purchase business premises or investment property. Business loans are used for working capital, equipment, growth or acquisition. Seven Hills Capital Group arranges both.

Yes. Seven Hills Capital Group works with specialist development finance lenders for ground-up construction, major refurbishment and conversion projects. Development finance is a specialist product with staged drawdowns based on build progress. Our team has access to specialist lenders in this space and will help structure the facility correctly for your project.