Kennet Equipment Leasing: products, terms and eligibility

Kennet Equipment Leasing is a UK provider of asset finance. The legal entity named on its site is Kennet Equipment Leasing Limited, company number 02569928. It is based in Coleshill, Birmingham. It gives its founding year as 1990. It is part of STAR Asset Finance Group.

Kennet says it has provided finance for UK SMEs since 1990; Companies House shows the company incorporated on 20 December 1990 as Kennet Corporate Services Limited, renamed Kennet Equipment Leasing Limited in December 2002. STAR Asset Finance Group says it was formed in 2014, bringing together Kennet Equipment Leasing (Birmingham), Ignition Credit (Cornwall), First Capital Finance (Bournemouth) and Credo Capital Finance (Norwich). STAR Asset Finance Group is a registered trading style of those four companies, and Kennet’s registered office is Kennet House, Temple Court, Coleshill.

In its own words on scale:

• Says Kennet has access to over 35 lenders as well as its own funds (Kennet page, October 2026).
• Says STAR Asset Finance passed £3 billion in total funding provided to UK SMEs in September 2026 (group news page).

Everything on this page comes from what Kennet Equipment Leasing publishes itself. We show the date we last checked it, and we do not rate or rank lenders.

Kennet Equipment Leasing publishes 5 products for UK businesses. The table above gives the amounts and terms as it states them.

• Tax liability finance: Monthly instalments.
• Merchant cash advance: A percentage of future card sales or revenue.

Customer equipment leasing

Leasing for virtually any item of business equipment worth from £1,000. Options listed include equipment leasing, finance leasing, master leasing (one agreement for multiple installations), seasonal leasing with higher payments in busy months, and sale and leaseback on recently bought technology. Payments are fixed at the start of the agreement.

Supplier (point-of-sale) finance

For businesses that manufacture, sell or resell new or used equipment, machinery or commercial vehicles. The finance agreement is with the supplier’s customer and the supplier’s invoice is paid directly. The group also offers suppliers marketing support, loan calculators and sales training.

Business loans

Brokered and provided business loans: unsecured loans for one to five years and secured loans for one to ten years, plus corporation tax loans, cash advance loans and chattel mortgages. All loans are subject to credit checks and status.

Tax liability finance

Spreads VAT, Corporation Tax, self-assessment, Director’s tax and year-end HMRC bills into monthly instalments, with borrowing up to £250,000, usually over up to 12 months. Funds may be paid to HMRC directly or to the business.

Merchant cash advance

An unsecured lump sum repaid as a percentage of future card sales or revenue, aimed at businesses that take card payments, such as retail, hospitality and service businesses.

Kennet Equipment Leasing says its finance is used for:

• Buying new or used business equipment
• Vehicle purchase
• Spreading HMRC tax and VAT bills
• Cash flow and working capital
• Releasing cash from recently bought equipment
• Offering point-of-sale finance to customers

Sectors and business types it says it funds:

• Agriculture
• Construction
• Engineering
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Education
• Marine
• Technology

Kennet Equipment Leasing publishes these criteria. Meeting them does not mean an application will be accepted: every lender makes its own decision.

• UK businesses, with equipment from £1,000 upwards for leasing.
• Business loans: registered and trading in the UK.
• Business loans: has a business bank account.
• Business loans: can demonstrate income or trading history.
• Business loans: borrowing for legitimate business purposes.
• Merchant cash advance: SMEs with regular revenue or card transactions, subject to assessment.

Kennet Equipment Leasing describes its process like this:

1. Complete the online quote or enquiry form, choosing the type of finance and your sector.
2. A finance specialist assesses your circumstances and recommends a solution.
3. For leasing, the supplier’s invoice is settled once the equipment is installed or delivered.

Every application is subject to status and the lender’s own criteria at the time.

Asset finance spreads the cost of equipment, vehicles or machinery, with the asset itself as the main security. Under hire purchase you own the asset once the final payment is made; under a lease you pay to use it and hand it back, extend or replace it at the end.

Lenders look at the asset’s age, condition and resale value as well as the business, and many fund used as well as new equipment. Sector pages such as transport and logistics finance and construction finance show how it is used in practice.

Our guide to asset finance explains the costs, who it suits and how to compare offers.

Points Kennet Equipment Leasing publishes that are worth knowing:

• When we checked on 15 October 2026, Kennet’s pages sat on the STAR Asset Finance Group website (starassetfinance.com/kennet-leasing), and most product pages are shared group pages.
• The group says it lends from its own balance sheet and also works with a panel of lenders, and receives commission from lenders under several commission models.
• Kennet is FCA authorised as both a credit broker and a lender, so a deal may be funded by Kennet or by a panel lender.
• Loan facilities are for business purposes only and subject to credit checks and status.

Security and guarantees

Under leasing, the equipment is owned by the funder; hire purchase passes ownership on payment of an option to purchase fee. Secured and unsecured business loan options are offered. Merchant cash advances are described as not requiring security.

Kennet Equipment Leasing’s site states: “Kennet Equipment Leasing Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN: 676024 and are an authorised Credit Broker and Lender.”

You can check any firm’s permissions on the FCA’s Financial Services Register, listed in the sources below, before you sign anything.

Protections differ by borrower type and loan size. Most lending to limited companies is not regulated consumer credit, so read the agreement and ask the lender what applies to you.

Other providers of asset finance with profiles here include Kingsley Asset Finance, Liberty Finance and Novuna Business Finance. Each profile uses that lender’s own published terms.

The full list, grouped by product type, is in our directory of UK business lenders.

Capzy is a credit broker, not a lender, and gets paid by the lender. One application lets your business compare options across lenders, so you can weigh this kind of facility against the alternatives. You can check your funding options with a soft search that does not affect your credit score. A full application to a lender may involve a hard search, and any offer is subject to status and lender criteria.