There is often a misconception that finance is only needed to help bridge a financial gap, cover the cost of large capital outlays, or be considered if a business is having financial difficulty.

Bluestone works with businesses across the UK like architectural practices to help them access finance to support their growth investments, whether that’s enabling them to use finance to spread the cost of their investments and purchases over time to maintain a healthy cashflow for other important resources, remove the sting of large capital outlays, or provide them with a bit of financial flexibility.

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Cashflow Loans

Cashflow loans such as for VAT, self-assessment, or corporation tax, and professional indemnity insurance (PII) can alleviate some of the pressure for architectural practises by providing the option to spread the cost of their bills over time and at a fixed rate, enabling manageable monthly repayments and financial flexibility.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Running an architectural business in the UK can be costly, especially for those hiring lots of staff, all of which need to be covered under the firms professional indemnity insurance (PII).  

A PI insurance loan allows you to spread the cost of cover over a 12-month period. The interest on the loan and the repayments are fixed, making it easier to manage your budget and keep capital in the business.

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Finance for assets

There are of course, other assets that an architectural firm can finance, from IT software and hardware, CAD software, office furniture, fit out, company vehicles, renewables (such as solar or LED lighting) or loans for property.

Our team of dedicated finance experts can help you find the right solution for your practice, whether that’s a finance lease, hire purchase or operational lease.  

With a finance lease, the funder pays the supplier for the asset and in turn then become its legal owners. They then lease/hire the equipment back to the end user. The payments are charged plus VAT which can be reclaimed as normal.

Similarly to a finance lease, when you enter a Hire Purchase agreement the asset is paid for by the funder, but they will want the VAT to be paid up front on the cost of the equipment (which can be claimed back as normal). The funder then charges a regular fee to the end user, and the last payment has an additional option to purchase fee which transfers legal title to the end user.

A operating lease is a hire rather than a credit agreement which means the organisation is paying simply to use the equipment for a certain time. When setting up the lease the lender would estimate how much the equipment is likely to be worth at the end of the finance term (its residual value) and that amount would deduct from the lease value, reducing the payments.

The benefits of using finance over cash

There are many benefits to using finance over cash:  

• Spread the cost of your purchases and investments over time and benefit from manageable monthly repayments.  

• Unlock 100% tax relief on capital expenditure and interest.

• Stay up to date with the latest equipment and technology.

• Reduce risk and maintain a healthy cashflow.  

• Managed budget by not putting strain on cash flow.  

• Flexibility, we work with you to create bespoke repayment schedules to suit you.  

Interested?

Our online finance portal enables a simple, efficient route to finance - get a quick quote or apply for finance today.    

Apply for finance now

Alternatively, our expert team is available here to discuss your specific needs and help you find the right solution for your business.

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Funding for your business

Bluestone is an ethical and FCA-regulated finance intermediary. We are committed to ensuring that our clients make informed financial decisions based on their requirements and always recommend that our clients seek independent financial advice from an authorised source before committing to any financial agreements.  

If you would like to explore software finance solutions in more detail, get in touch using the enquiry form below, or contact us here. One of our friendly and experienced team will be in touch as soon as possible.

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Last updated: April 2025. Version: BS2025.05.01.ARC

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