Oak Leasing is a bespoke pan-European funding facilitator for equipment finance. For more than three decades we have structured leasing, refinance and vendor programmes for limited companies, placing each deal with the best-suited of 40+ funders across 30+ countries.
Established 1992 · Founding member, Guild of Business Finance ProfessionalsOak Leasing arranges equipment leasing, hire purchase, refinance and vendor finance for limited companies in the UK and more than 30 European countries. Typical transactions run from £100,000 to £10 million in sterling or euros, with large-asset refinance and sale and leaseback up to €100 million per transaction.
Since 1992 we have arranged more than £100 million of equipment finance for over 6,500 businesses, many of whom come back to us again and again.
We are not a lender. We structure each deal and place it with the most suitable funder from a panel of more than 40, built up since 1992. Our fee is typically paid by the funder on activation and is disclosed to you before finance documents are signed.
We don't sell one product. We recommend the structure that fits how long you'll use the equipment, whether you want to own it and how it should sit on your balance sheet — then find the funder who will do it on the best terms.
The funder owns the asset; rentals cover most or all of its cost over the term, then continue on secondary rentals or the asset is sold.
Best for: long-life equipment you'll use for most of its working life.
Lower rentals that reflect a residual value. Return, extend or upgrade at the end of the term.
Best for: technology, robotics and assets with regular upgrade cycles.
Fixed instalments, with ownership passing to your business after the final payment.
Best for: core equipment you intend to own outright.
Release capital tied up in equipment you already own, then lease it back without interrupting operations.
Best for: funding growth, acquisitions or restructuring. Up to €100m per transaction.
The funder pays the manufacturer's deposits and stage payments during build; you pay only interest until delivery.
Best for: UK businesses buying European-built equipment with long lead times.
Point-of-sale leasing for manufacturers and dealers, and sale of existing lease receivables to our funder panel.
Best for: OEMs, distributors and integrators selling across Europe.
How each structure works, what it costs and how it is treated for tax: read our complete guide to equipment leasing →
Leases are written locally, under local law and in local currency, but we run them as a single relationship: common terms, local-language support and one point of contact, whether your equipment sits in Manchester, Munich or Milan.
For UK groups expanding into Europe, European manufacturers selling into the UK, and multi-site businesses that want one framework across several countries.
countries, 40+ funders, sterling or euros, one structuring team.
Explore European equipment leasing →£4,978 a month sells more easily than £250,000. A monthly figure often sits within a budget holder's own authority, so orders close faster and grow larger — and you are still paid in full on delivery.
We design the programme, place it with funders suited to your sector and territories, and manage those relationships day to day. Programmes can run in GBP or EUR across multiple markets, and within a programme we can fund transactions from £10,000.
The deals that don't fit a standard box are where three decades of funder relationships count most.
For UK businesses, our funders can pay the manufacturer's deposits and stage payments directly, secured by an advance payment guarantee. You pay only interest on each deposit until delivery, when the lease begins. It is a structure most main clearing banks won't offer.
per transaction for large-asset refinance and sale and leaseback, through our facility with a large independent European funder.
Funder relationships are built over credit cycles, not quarters. Ours go back to 1992 — which is why we can still place deals when markets tighten and others can't.
“Since contacting John Barter at Oaklease we have received a first class service. He understood our requirements straight away and got us the best deals possible.”
Gordon Miller, Finance Director, CUT UK Ltd
“Oak Leasing provided us with an efficient and helpful service getting us the right leasing solution at great value.”
Lambert Kleinjans, Energiekontor UK Ltd
“John is one of the most honest and straight forward people I have had the pleasure to deal with.”
Charles Towers Clark, CEO, Pod Group of Companies
Finance for two high six-figure CNC grinding machines sold to a customer in the Netherlands through a dedicated vendor portal — removing the capital barrier to the sale. More case studies →
Indicative terms within 48 hours on standard UK deals, and a realistic timeline up front on complex ones.
If we can't help, we say why. If a deal can work with a different structure, we show you how.
Agreements reviewed before signature, with unusual clauses explained in plain English.
Refinance, variations and end-of-term options handled by the same team. Many clients have stayed 10+ years.
An indicative monthly rental for UK equipment leasing at 7.5% APR. For larger transactions, a Funding Director will structure the deal with you.
Larger transactions are priced individually. A Funding Director will recommend the structure, term and funder.
Speak to a Funding DirectorIllustration only, at 7.5% APR with monthly rentals in arrears. Not an offer of finance. Subject to status and funder approval. Limited companies only.
No. Oak Leasing is a bespoke pan-European funding facilitator. We structure each transaction and place it with the most suitable funder from a panel of more than 40. Our fee is typically paid by the funder when the finance agreement is activated, and it is disclosed to you before you sign.
Since 1992. In that time we have arranged more than £100 million of equipment finance for over 6,500 businesses, and built funder relationships across the UK and Continental Europe through several credit cycles, including the eurozone debt crisis and the rate rises of 2022.
Yes. We are a founding member of the Guild of Business Finance Professionals, a not-for-profit body launched in June 2024, and have signed its Charter on ethical practice.
No. We arrange finance only for limited companies and other incorporated businesses, which falls outside FCA consumer credit regulation. We do not arrange finance for consumers, sole traders or partnerships.
Limited companies and other incorporated businesses in the UK and Europe. Funders will look at trading history, accounts and the equipment itself.
Typically £100,000 to £10 million, in sterling or euros. Large-asset refinance and sale and leaseback can go up to €100 million per transaction. Smaller transactions from £10,000 are considered only within an approved vendor leasing programme, not as one-off deals.
Standard UK transactions usually receive indicative terms within 48 hours. Complex and cross-border deals are given a realistic timeline at the outset.
Typically your latest filed and management accounts, details of the equipment and supplier quotation, and information about the business and its directors. Larger or cross-border deals may need more. We tell you exactly what each funder needs before anything is submitted.
Almost any business equipment: manufacturing machinery and process lines, robotics and automation, materials handling, IT and data centre infrastructure, medical equipment, renewable energy and battery storage, airport ground support equipment and more. New and used equipment can be funded, along with installation and integration costs where they form part of the project.
Under a finance lease the funder owns the asset, rentals are typically tax-deductible, and at the end of the term you continue on secondary rentals, sell the asset or renew. Under hire purchase, ownership passes to your business after the final payment and capital allowances are typically available. Our complete guide to equipment leasing compares every structure in detail.
Yes. We coordinate leasing across the UK and more than 30 European countries through local funders, with common terms and one point of contact. See our European equipment leasing page.
Yes. The funder pays the manufacturer's stage payments, secured by an advance payment guarantee, and your business pays only interest on those deposits until delivery, when the lease begins. Most main clearing banks don't offer this.
Yes. Through sale and leaseback a funder buys equipment you own and leases it back to you, releasing capital while the equipment stays in use. Large-asset refinance can go up to €100 million per transaction.
A finance facility that lets a manufacturer, distributor or dealer offer leasing at the point of sale. Customers see a monthly figure rather than a capital price, which shortens sales cycles and supports larger orders, while the vendor is paid in full on delivery.
Usually little or nothing to run. We design the programme, place it with funders suited to your products and territories, and manage the funder relationships for you.
Yes. Vendors and captives can sell existing lease receivables to our funder panel to release cash, with white-labelled options so the customer relationship stays with you.
Lease types, costs, tax and VAT, the approval process and vendor finance — for customers, vendors and manufacturers.
Tell us what you are funding, where it will be used and when. A Funding Director will come back with a recommended structure — usually within 48 hours on standard UK deals.
Speak to a Funding Director