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Ardent Capital GroupArdent Capital Group
Business loans and working capital finance for veterinary clinics
Excellent★★★★★

Business loans for veterinary clinics

Veterinary clinic business loans and working capital

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Looking for a business loan for your vet clinic?

At Ardent Capital Group, we help veterinary clinics access finance for working capital between fee and insurance receipts, business overdrafts, clinic fit-outs and refurbishments, surgical and imaging equipment, practice acquisitions and buy-ins, and the premises they operate from.

We can help you:

  • Fund working capital between fee and insurance receipts
  • Open a business overdraft or line of credit over your trading account
  • Fit out a new clinic or refurbish an existing one
  • Buy surgical, imaging, dental and laboratory equipment
  • Fund a clinic acquisition, buy-in or second location
  • Cover an ATO, BAS or PAYG obligation
  • Bring on additional vets and nursing staff
  • Expand into after-hours, emergency or referral work
  • Buy the premises your clinic operates from
  • Match the facility to how your receipts actually land

Who we help:

  • Clinic owners funding growth, equipment or a second site
  • Vets buying in as an associate or acquiring a retiring principal's clinic
  • Multi-site veterinary groups structuring larger facilities across locations
  • New clinic owners funding a first fit-out and equipment list
  • Clinics adding imaging or in-house pathology needing finance matched to asset life
  • Trust and company structured borrowers who need their income presented properly
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1,000+

loans settled

$500M+

funded

Veterinary clinic business loans

Funding for equipment, staff and the fee cycle

We arrange business loans and working capital for established veterinary clinics, from overdrafts and lines of credit through to unsecured and secured term loans, equipment finance and acquisition funding. Veterinary lending is assessed on trading history, fee income and security rather than property alone, and several banks run dedicated professional programs that a general business would never see. We find the desk that runs those programs, then set the facility up to grow with the clinic.

Funding from $100K to $100M
from over 60 bank & non-bank lenders

  • ANZ
  • Bankwest
  • Bluestone
  • Bank of Queensland
  • Commonwealth Bank
  • Firstmac
  • ING
  • Macquarie
  • NAB
  • Pepper Money
  • Suncorp Bank
  • Thinktank

Veterinary clinic finance specialists

Veterinary lending is a specialist area, and one we speak with clinic owners about every week, from a single-site practice funding an x-ray upgrade to a group acquiring a second clinic. The facilities we arrange most often include:

  • Business overdrafts and revolving lines of credit
  • Clinic acquisition and buy-in funding, including goodwill
  • Unsecured business loans on strong trading
  • Secured business term loans and cash flow finance
  • Equipment, fit-out and theatre funding

Limits are sized to your fee income and security rather than a single property value, and on revolving facilities interest is charged only on the drawn balance. Many facilities are assessed off your BAS and recent bank statements rather than full financials, and clinics often access better terms than other businesses because lenders read the profession as stable. For clinical equipment, we can also arrange veterinary equipment finance and veterinary x-ray finance against the asset itself, keeping your cash free for the rest of the clinic.

Business loans and working capital finance for veterinary clinics

Why businesses choose Ardent Capital Group as their broker

Execution and strategy

Strategy first, then execution. We structure your deal properly and take it to the lenders genuinely comfortable with it, so you are not chasing each one yourself.

Clear advice for smart lending

Straight answers on structure, limits and timing, including when a purchase is better funded a different way.

A long-term partner

We stay with you well beyond settlement, growing the facility as the business grows.

Veterinary loan types

What we fund for veterinary clinics

Funding needs differ from one clinic to the next. A single-site practice smoothing a quiet stretch needs a different facility to one adding a second theatre or a group acquiring a retiring principal's clinic. Below is an overview of the most common situations we help clinics with.

Business overdraft and line of credit

A business overdraft or revolving line of credit sits over your trading account and covers the gap between money going out and client fees, insurance receipts and payment plans arriving. You draw against an agreed limit as costs fall due and repay as receipts settle.

We size the limit to your actual cash cycle rather than a round number, weigh a property-secured facility against an unsecured one, and place it with a lender whose appetite matches veterinary clinics rather than a generalist credit desk.

  • Interest charged on the drawn balance, not the approved limit
  • Assessed on BAS lodgements and three to six months of bank statements
  • Limits commonly reviewed each year against turnover
  • Line fees and establishment costs differ between bank and non-bank lenders
  • Unsecured limits generally capped lower than property-secured facilities
  • Redraw available without reapplying once the limit is set
  • Suits clinics managing predictable timing gaps

Working capital and cash flow

Working capital funds the part of a clinic nobody bills for directly. Nurses and vets are paid fortnightly, drugs and consumables are restocked continuously, and the fees against that work arrive across client payments, pet insurance receipts and payment plans.

We match the product to the shape of the gap, from a revolving line for a quiet post-summer stretch to a short-term facility for a tax bill or a major equipment service. It keeps payroll and suppliers covered without draining the reserves you hold for equipment replacement.

  • Structured as a revolving line, short-term loan or receivables facility
  • Sized to the peak of the gap, not annual turnover
  • Suits fee timing, insurance receipts and seasonal quiet stretches
  • Can bridge a quarterly BAS or PAYG obligation
  • Assessed on trading history and the pattern of cash flow
  • Repaid as the delayed revenue comes in
  • Faster access where the facility is unsecured

Unsecured business loans

An unsecured business loan gives you a lump sum without registering a mortgage over property, priced on the strength of your trading rather than the value of your assets. It suits established operators that want funding quickly and would rather keep the family home out of the structure.

We assess whether an unsecured facility is the right call or whether a secured position may suit a larger or longer facility, and place the deal with a lender that understands how veterinary clinics actually trade.

  • Generally available from 12 months of consistent trading history
  • Often assessed from bank statements and BAS without full financials
  • Terms commonly run from one to three years
  • Faster to arrange than a property-secured facility
  • Directors’ guarantees typically required
  • Limits smaller and rates higher than secured equivalents
  • Suits fit-outs, equipment, tax bills and short-term working capital

Secured business term loans

A secured business term loan uses commercial or residential property, plant or another business asset as security, which generally supports a larger limit and a lower rate than unsecured lending, repaid over a set period. Where an overdraft flexes, a term loan gives you a fixed repayment you can budget around.

Property brought into the structure lifts both the size and the pricing, and an established operator with a clinic, an equipment list or equity in a home often has more security available than they realise. We match the structure to the purpose and your balance sheet, subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

  • Terms commonly run from one to fifteen years depending on security
  • Fixed or variable rate, with principal and interest repayments
  • Larger limits and lower rates than unsecured equivalents
  • Property, plant or receivables can all serve as security
  • Full financials generally required for larger secured facilities
  • Suits acquisitions, fit-outs, refinances and debt consolidation
  • Can fund an ATO payment plan where trading supports the repayments

Asset and equipment finance

Asset finance funds the clinical kit a veterinary clinic runs on, from surgical and dental suites to imaging, monitoring and laboratory equipment, including veterinary equipment finance and veterinary x-ray finance. The equipment itself usually serves as the security, so your working capital line stays free for the rest of the business.

Whether you are adding a second theatre, replacing an ageing x-ray unit or building an in-house laboratory so you stop sending work out, We match the finance to the working life of the asset and place it with a lender that funds this kind of equipment, including the dealer and manufacturer programs. It keeps a large capital purchase off the overdraft and turns it into a predictable monthly repayment.

  • Secured against the equipment being financed
  • Chattel mortgage, lease or rental structures available
  • Terms typically matched to the life of the asset
  • Often assessed on bank statements and BAS for established operators
  • New and used equipment both fundable
  • Frees up cash and property security for other funding
  • Repayments fixed and easy to budget around

Buying or refinancing your premises

When you are buying the premises your business operates from, or refinancing an existing loan, this is a commercial property deal rather than a working capital one. Clinics buying their own premises often access owner-occupier terms that a general business would not, because lenders read established veterinary income as stable and recurring.

Owning the premises takes a rising rent out of your cost base and builds an asset alongside the business. If your deal is primarily a property purchase, our commercial property team handles it end to end through our veterinary clinic property finance service.

  • Owner-occupier and investment structures both catered for
  • Owner-occupier terms for clinics often better than standard commercial
  • Terms commonly run to fifteen or twenty five years
  • Trust, company and SMSF structures catered for
  • Refinance to release equity or move onto better terms
  • Can combine the premises purchase with plant and equipment finance
  • Subject to serviceability, valuation, lender appetite and approval

Our complete list of services

  • Open a business overdraft or line of credit
  • Fund working capital between fee and insurance receipts
  • Take an unsecured business loan on strong trading
  • Arrange a secured business term loan
  • Finance surgical, imaging, dental and laboratory equipment
  • Fund a clinic fit-out or refurbishment
  • Fund a clinic acquisition, buy-in or second location
  • Use property security to widen your lender options
  • Bridge a BAS, PAYG or ATO obligation
  • Consolidate short-term clinic debt
  • Buy or refinance the premises your clinic operates from
  • Fund additional vets and nursing staff
  • Expand into after-hours, emergency or referral work
  • Match the facility to how your receipts land

Our process

How it works

1

We understand your scenario

We talk through your clinic, your fee income, your equipment plans and the timing you are working to.

2

We find the right lender

We match your deal to the lender on our panel best suited to it.

3

You receive clear terms and guidance

We present indicative terms and explain what we recommend, and why.

4

We stay with you beyond settlement

We manage everything through to settlement, then stay in your corner well beyond it, with ongoing support from the team.

Lender criteria for vet clinics

How lenders compare for veterinary clinics

Business loans are assessed on trading history, cash flow and security, and priorities differ by deal. Major banks offer lower rates on tighter criteria and full financials, while non-bank lenders can fund larger, faster or on lighter security and documentation.

Business loan feature Major banks Non-bank lenders Availability
Maximum facilityLarge, security-dependentTo structured facilities up to $100M*Standard
Secured vs unsecuredProperty preferred, unsecured availableSecured or unsecured optionsImportant
Invoice finance advance rateAround 80%80 to 90% of invoice valueCommon
Interest basisOn drawn balance or term loanDrawn balance, term, or fee-basedVaries
DocumentationFull financials typically requiredLow-doc options on bank statements and BASCommon
Approval timeframe*1 to 3 weeks1 to 10 business daysVaries
Best suited forStrong balance sheets, property security, sharper ratesFaster access, lighter security, larger structured facilities

*IMPORTANT: These are indicative figures only. Terms, LVRs and approval timeframes vary with borrower capacity, security type and individual lender criteria, and are subject to change. Figures are a general guide, not a quote or an offer of finance, and not a representation that finance is available on these terms.

Frequently asked questions

Why work with Ardent Capital Group on your finance?

Ardent Capital Group brings the same method to every client: execution and strategy, clear advice for smart lending, and long-term growth. That means the right lender, structure and timing, straight advice so you borrow with confidence, and today's deal built toward where you want to be tomorrow. We are specialists in helping business owners secure finance to purchase their own property, and we understand the complex structures that often sit around it, including multiple trusts, holding companies and self-managed super funds. Through that work we also understand what the business needs from its cash flow, and where an overdraft or line of credit fits for working capital. For a veterinary clinic, where income is spread across client fees, insurance and payment plans, that means the desks among our panel of more than sixty who lend on the strength of the business rather than property alone. We aim to be the partner that stays well after this facility settles. Every figure is subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

Should I use a secured or unsecured facility?

It depends on how quickly you need it and what you are willing to offer as security. Unsecured facilities are assessed mainly on trading strength and can be arranged in days, which suits a limit of $100K to $500K. Secured facilities, backed by property or plant, support larger amounts and price better, and make sense once you are funding a major purchase or an acquisition. Most established operators end up with a mix, and we shape which sits where.

How much can I borrow?

It depends on your trading, your structure and the purpose, but lending here commonly runs from $100K to well into seven figures, and our range extends to $100M for larger operators. Lenders that recognise the profession will often lend against practice goodwill and cash flow rather than bricks and mortar alone. The binding constraint is usually serviceability rather than security, and we shape the funding early so you know your number before you commit.

Can I finance surgical, imaging and laboratory equipment?

Yes, and the equipment itself is normally the security rather than your home. Surgical, dental and laboratory equipment, x-ray and imaging units, monitoring and a practice vehicle can all be funded. Terms are typically matched to the life of the asset, and established businesses can often be assessed on bank statements and BAS rather than full financials. Dealer and manufacturer finance programs are available too, and we compare them against a bank facility.

Can I fund buying into or acquiring a clinic, including the goodwill?

Yes. Practice acquisition is one of the most common reasons vets come to us, whether you are buying in as an associate, buying out a retiring principal or adding a second clinic. Lenders that recognise the profession will lend against goodwill and cash flow, not just bricks and mortar, often up to a high proportion of the purchase price for a strong clinic. We shape the funding early around the price, the goodwill and any equity available, subject to serviceability and approval.

Do I need to put up property to get funding?

No. Plenty of operators fund growth without touching the family home, either through unsecured facilities assessed on trading, or by securing against the equipment being purchased. Property security widens the range of lenders and structures open to you, so it is worth considering once you are borrowing well into seven figures. The choice is yours, and we will show you what each option costs before you commit.

How quickly can working capital be arranged?

An unsecured facility can often be approved within 48 hours and funded inside a week where the business is established and the BAS and bank statements are current. Secured facilities take longer, typically two to four weeks, because a valuation is involved. The practical advice is to open the limit before you need it, ideally when you are planning the spend rather than when the invoice is already due. Timeframes are indicative and subject to lender appetite and approval.

Can I get a low-doc facility from my BAS and bank statements?

Yes. Many lenders assess established businesses on 6 to 12 months of bank statements and recent BAS rather than full year-end financials, which suits operators whose accounts lag the current run rate. It works best where the trading account shows regular receipts and the ATO position is current. If you have a payment plan in place, say so early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is disclosed and being met.

Can you help me buy the premises my clinic operates from?

Yes, and it is a commercial property deal rather than a working capital one. Clinics buying their own premises frequently access owner-occupier terms a general business would not, which can mean a lower deposit than an investor would need. Owning the premises also takes a rising rent out of your cost base and gives you control over how the building is fitted out. Our commercial property team handles these end to end through our veterinary clinic property finance service.

Do you fund clinics that are expanding into after-hours or emergency work?

Yes, and it is a common step up. Extending into after-hours or emergency work means more staff on the roster, more monitoring and imaging equipment, and a longer wait before the additional revenue settles into a pattern. We look at the plan and the existing clinic's trading rather than last year's turnover alone, which is what lets a facility grow ahead of the revenue. Bring us the plan early and we will structure around it, subject to serviceability and lender approval.

Do you charge any fees for your service?

Most of the time, no. We are paid a commission by the lender once your facility settles. Where a deal requires significant preparation or involves unusual complexity, a small mandate fee may apply. We will always be upfront about this before any work begins.

What areas do you service?

Although we are based in Sydney, we service clients across all major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart, along with their surrounding regional areas. Wherever your business is located, we can arrange your finance.

What other finance can you assist with?

Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, such as a property loan to buy your vet clinic, we also assist with veterinary equipment finance and working capital. On asset finance, that covers clinical equipment, imaging and commercial vehicles. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit and cash-flow funding. We also arrange commercial mortgages if you are buying or refinancing your premises.

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Your commercial finance partner at every stage.

Finance for veterinary clinics

Equipment, working capital or the premises themselves. Wherever the funding needs to go, we can get it sorted.

Nick Chong

Ardent Capital Team

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Ardent Capital Team

Ardent Capital
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