Damp-proofing and timber-treatment businesses operating through a UK limited company or LLP can apply for a business loan in the company's name alone. No personal guarantee is required from the directors.
Capital requirements in damp-proofing
The damp-proofing trade requires ongoing investment in chemical injection systems, electro-osmosis equipment, moisture meters, borescopes and protective clothing. Chemical stock — specialist silane creams, biocides, tanking slurry — has a cost that must be met before each project begins. When a company wins a large structural waterproofing contract on a basement or older property portfolio, it can face significant material costs ahead of any staged payment from the client.
Guarantee-backed work and insurance-backed warranties
Many damp-proofing companies issue 20- to 30-year insurance-backed guarantees (IBGs) on their work, which is a commercial differentiator but also an overhead cost. Being part of a trade body such as the PCA (Property Care Association) requires maintaining proper insurance and accreditation. Business finance can fund the working capital to take on more guarantee-backed work, because the commercial value of IBG-accredited contracts is demonstrably higher than unaccredited work.
Surveyor and technician staffing
A common growth constraint for damp-proofing companies is the ability to survey and convert enquiries quickly. Hiring a qualified surveyor or additional installation crew before the revenue fully covers the payroll is a classic early-growth challenge. A business loan can bridge that hiring cost for three to six months while the new capacity generates income. As an illustrative figure only and not a quote, a company with £130,000 annual turnover might be considered for a facility in the range of one to two months' revenue, based on the company's full financial picture.
We lend only to UK limited companies and LLPs, and the loan is to the company with no director personal guarantee. As business finance outside the consumer-credit regime, it is not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or FSCS.
See also: Business loans for tiling contractors, Business finance for groundworks companies.