How long does business acquisition finance take?

There is no standard number of weeks, because the deadline comes from the contract, not the lender. A sale contract carries a finance clause, a date by which your finance has to be approved or you can walk away. The length of that window is negotiated, so ask your solicitor what yours says before you sign, and work back from that date. Many delays are not a slow lender. They are things nobody started early: the vendor's financials, the valuation, a licence or a landlord's consent.

Licences are the clearest example. In the trades guide, a plumbing purchase needs a nominee registered at settlement, typically a four to eight week lead, and electrical is comparable, so the licence path belongs in the settlement timeline before the finance clock starts (trades business guide). The same guide says deposits run 20 to 30% and banks rarely fund more than 50 to 70% of goodwill, with vendor finance commonly bridging the gap. Where the balance comes from, whether home equity, vendor finance or both, has to be settled in the first week, not the third.

The usual order of work is short. An indication of structure, which lender, how much and what security, normally comes back within a day. The lender then reads the vendor's financials, usually two to three years, and orders a valuation where the property or going concern needs one. Legal review and settlement follow. Vehicles and plant in the deal are the quick part, because the asset secures the loan and equipment approvals can land in 24 to 48 hours. Goodwill and property are the slow part, because they must be valued and the title checked. Ventas is a broker across 40+ lenders, with no upfront fee to you, and splitting the deal this way stops the slow part holding up the fast part.