Whatever stage of your career you have reached, from starting a squat dental practice or buying into an established business or if you're looking to update your current service, using the best equipment is essential.
We understand that the latest technology will help give your patients the treatment they deserve. So we can offer asset finance on items such as digital X-ray systems through to dental lasers - and much more with affordable monthly repayments.
The growing dental industry
The UK dental field has seen significant growth over the recent years. According to a 2019 report, independent practices have dominated the market, with over 8,000 practices nationwide.
Data suggests that this number is set to grow. So it's now more important than ever to provide a quality service; with the best equipment. Asset finance can help you source the best equipment to grow your business and reputation.
Speak to an experienced credit broker at Rangewell to find out how we can help source the right credit agreement for your needs.
What funding is available to buy a dental practice?
Whether you plan on buying an existing practice, buying out a competitor, or if you're looking to buy a second site to expand your current operation - this will require a substantial investment. However, there are multiple funding options for dental practice on the market.
Business Loans
There may be multiple reasons why dental practices should apply for a business loan - they can be one of the best ways of securing working capital. Here are some examples of common business loans available.
- Unsecured loans are flexible alternatives to lending and are better suited for smaller lending amounts.
- Secured Loans may be used to borrow upwards of £250,000 and may be more suitable for the costs involved in a business purchase. This is longer-term lending based on the security of your assets.
- Buy-in and Buyout finance recognises the challenges and provides funding tailored to help you make full use of the opportunity.
If you'd like to learn more about your credit score, how a credit agreement works, and how this type of loan will benefit you. Rangewell is on hand to provide the support you need.
Buying a franchise
Franchising is becoming more popular with UK dentists. However, it will mean a substantial initial franchise fee and costs for premises and equipment purchases. In addition, there may be a monthly fee and additional expenses to consider once you are up and running your dental practice, especially in the crucial first few months of operation.
Traditional lenders, such as banks, may not be able to help, as your business is technically a start-up, lacking a business history. A franchise loan with Rangewell may provide the solution.
Merchant cash advance
Any dentist surgery that accepts credit card and debit card payments can take advantage of merchant cash advice (also known as business cash advice or a PDQ loan). A merchant cash advance means there are no fixed monthly payments - a proportion of the transaction sales will be taken as repayment of the unsecured cash injection. This will mean your repayments will flow with your business transactions.
Invoice financing
Cash flow can be a major bugbear for many independent dental businesses. You can unlock the cash tied up in B2B invoices with invoice financing. Gone are the days of waiting for payments to land in your business account. Instead, invoice finance is the most convenient way of managing cash flow and getting paid quickly.
Tax Loans for dental practices
Tax Loans help you to spread the cost of VAT and annual tax demands into monthly payments, helping smooth your cash flow.
Our finance experts are on hand to help you deal with your tax bills. Get in touch for more information.
Working Capital Finance for your dental practice
Working Capital Finance is designed to give you additional working capital, often to provide cash to pay staff and suppliers during the early weeks and months of opening a dental practice or during a period of growth. It is designed to be repaid in the short to medium-term.
Our practice financing experts can help solve your working capital needs
What can the dentist business loan be used for?
Dental practices can spend their loan on a wide range of business equipment. Here are some examples.
Equipment
Buying dental equipment can be expensive, and your dental practice needs to be well equipped! You can use a dental business loan to purchase items such as new dental chairs, x-ray machines, and imaging units. You can also spend it on non-dental related equipment such as IT infrastructure or upgrading your office and telecoms systems.
To find out more about business finance, speak to one of our finance professionals.
Expansions
Securing a dental practice loan can mean that you have the capital to invest in expanding your current practice.
If you’ve been thinking about knocking through a wall to expand your practice, business finance can help you do that. It’s up to you how you spend your money to make your business more profitable.
Refurbishments
A dental practice loan will mean that you will have the capital to refresh your practice. It’s the perfect solution for you to get rid of the tired decor and spruce up the interiors to make your surroundings more comfortable for your customers.
Repairs
Your dental practice business loan could be used for emergency repairs. Having money in the bank and readily available to carry out those essential repairs can offer peace of mind when your practice only has to stay closed for a minimum amount of time.
What types of finance are available to fund dental equipment?
At Rangewell, we have found that Asset Funding can provide the most cost-effective solutions:
Hire Purchase
If you need to spread the cost of bringing in durable equipment that will go on giving service for years, hire purchase can provide the answer.
Leases
If you need to use the latest dental technology without the cost of owning the equipment, leasing will give you the freedom and flexibility you need.
New or used?
Good quality used equipment may be a sound investment. If you are setting up a new practice, it may be the only practical solution to prevent hefty upfront payments. Many sources of used and refurbished dental equipment exist, and many dentists look to source finance to take advantage of its savings.
At Rangewell, we can help you spread the cost of used equipment as well as new equipment with asset finance. Contact us to find out more about dental equipment finance for your practice.
Does my dental practice qualify for a business loan?
Most lenders will lend on an unsecured basis (up to a certain level), so they’ll want to be sure that you have the financial ability to repay them when you take a business loan out.
Usually, when you approach a lender for finance, they’ll ask to see a breakdown of your current assets and liabilities to see how you spend your income.
When looking into your income and expenditure, lenders will usually ask to see your bank statement to verify your income and outcome. Some lenders may ask you for six months’ worth of bank statements to see your income as a dentist.
They’ll look at how you control your funds, so whether you’re overdrawn regularly, they may wish to see three years of your dentist associate accounts to verify your income.
Lenders will look to see if you have a sound financial background and that you can control your finances, which will be needed when managing your own dental practice.
Funding to buy the premises for your dental practice
Premises in a good location will be a major cost for your dental practice. You may need to borrow for the deposit on a long-term lease. Alternatively, you might want to buy a suitable property with a commercial mortgage.
Practice Loan
A practice loan recognises your professional status and does not require security. It can provide a relatively high level of funding at a preferential rate of interest, which you may use for any business purpose.
Contact us to find out more about this type of funding. We can also help with dental practice start-up loans. Equally, if you are starting a dental practice with a partner, then we can help.
Growth finance
Large-scale finance can be vital if you have major plans for your practice, such as acquiring a competitor.
Growth Finance is a special type of funding designed to fund your plans. Whatever finance you require, it helps to have a dental practice business plan outlining your current financial account, operational layout and how you intend to grow the business. This could be anything from plans to grow a franchise through to outlining details if you ever were to sell a dental practice from your portfolio.
If growth is on the horizon for you, then we can help you find and secure finance that can turn your plans into reality.
Goodwill Loans
Goodwill Loans (also known as cash outs) use the value you have built up in your practice as the security for a loan.
They can often provide a sum comparable to your annual turnover. In general, Goodwill Loans are suitable for any purpose inside or outside the business. Many dentists use it to fund investments or property purchases.
We can help you find the most appropriate lending, get in touch with our friendly team to find out more.
Refinancing
There are a number of reasons why you might consider refinancing your dental practice. For example, if you have multiple loans, then refinancing can help consolidate debt into single monthly payments. Refinancing is also a great way to release funds trapped in your business, so you can use this to improve cash flow or invest in the next step of your growth plan.
Jigsaw Funding
Many major projects require funding from more than one source. At Rangewell, we are experienced in assembling funding packages that work together. We use our financial expertise to provide the most cost-effective solution for each aspect of your financial plans.
Contact us to discuss how Jigsaw Funding could be an option for you.
There are many dental finance solutions for your dental practice, so contact Rangewell today to talk through your options and get a clearer understanding of what your practice can achieve.
What if my dental practice has bad credit?
It is possible to get a dental practice loan with bad credit, but you should be aware that not all dental practice loan options will be available. However, there will still be solutions that will help you start your practice while working on improving your financial situation.
If you have a less than stellar credit score, speak to Rangewell, and we can discuss lending options suited for bad credit.
