£290K Invoice Finance for a UK Commercial Cleaning Business: Case Study
Manager · 22 September 2026 · 5 min read
In this article
- How a UK commercial cleaning services business secured a £290,000 confidential invoice finance facility
- Why a confidential facility lets a business keep control of its own credit control
- What lenders look for when funding services delivered on new-build sites
A UK commercial cleaning and sealant services business, trading for more than 5 years, secured a £290,000 confidential invoice finance facility through Spark Finance to strengthen its working capital. The business needed reliable access to the cash tied up in its unpaid invoices while keeping control of its own customer relationships.
For services firms invoicing large contractors on extended terms, a receivables facility can release earned income without waiting weeks for payment to arrive.
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Background
Commercial cleaning and sealant services businesses provide the finishing and upkeep that keep new-build sites, show homes and offices presentable and ready for handover. Much of this work is delivered for large contractors and invoiced on extended payment terms.
This business carried out commercial cleaning, sealant application and site maintenance, largely for major contractors on new-build and show-home projects. Its income arrived through project invoices rather than steady monthly receipts, and a share of each contract could be held under retention until works were signed off, tying up cash it had already earned.
The Challenge
The business already had a receivables arrangement in place but could not draw against it when working capital was needed, and had little day-to-day contact with its provider. It wanted a solution that offered a genuine relationship and let it keep control of its own credit control.
- An incumbent facility that did not allow drawdown when working capital was needed
- Limited day-to-day support and relationship with the existing provider
- A need to retain in-house credit control rather than hand it to a funder
- Income tied up in project invoices and contract retentions
"The work on a new-build site is often signed off long before the invoice is paid. The right receivables facility lets a business use what it has already earned, without giving up control of its own customer relationships."
- Callum Pond, Manager, Spark Finance
Our Approach
- Reviewed the business's sales ledger and receivables profile in detail
- Matched the business with a lender offering a confidential invoice discounting facility
- Structured the facility so the business retained its own credit control
- Arranged an on-site review and ledger verification to set the facility live
Outcome
The business successfully secured a £290,000 confidential invoice finance facility, giving it reliable access to working capital against its invoices and the relationship-led support it had been missing.
This allowed the business to:
- Draw working capital against its unpaid invoices as it needed to
- Keep control of its own credit control and customer relationships
- Manage cashflow around extended contract payment terms and retentions
The client cited the speed of Spark Finance's response and its understanding of how the business invoices its contractor clients as key reasons for choosing to proceed. This case demonstrates that a commercial cleaning and sealant services business can access invoice finance through a specialist FCA-authorised broker, even where it needs to keep credit control in-house and move away from an underperforming facility.
What is Invoice Finance?
Invoice finance is a form of commercial finance that lets a business raise working capital against the value of its unpaid invoices, rather than waiting for customers to pay. A lender advances a proportion of each invoice, with the balance released once the invoice is settled.
- Funding is linked to the value of unpaid invoices rather than a fixed loan amount
- A confidential facility lets the business keep its own credit control
- The facility can grow as the sales ledger grows
- Suited to businesses that invoice other businesses on credit terms
Invoice finance can suit cleaning, sealant and other services businesses that invoice large contractors on extended terms and need funding to keep pace with their workload.
Looking for Cleaning Services Finance in the UK?
Spark Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 958123). Spark Finance works with 100+ UK lenders to find the most appropriate facility for each business, regardless of trading history or sector complexity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can a commercial cleaning business raise through invoice finance?
Invoice finance is linked to the value of a business's unpaid invoices rather than a fixed figure, so facilities can scale as the sales ledger grows. In this case Spark Finance arranged a £290,000 confidential invoice finance facility, and lenders can consider a wide range of facility sizes to suit different working capital needs.
What is the difference between confidential and disclosed invoice finance?
With a confidential facility, the business keeps its own credit control and its customers are not told a funder is involved. With a disclosed facility, the lender manages collections directly. Many businesses prefer a confidential arrangement so they can protect their customer relationships.
How quickly can an invoice finance facility be set up?
Timescales vary with the size of the facility and the checks involved, which can include an on-site review and verification of the sales ledger. Once a facility is agreed, a business can typically draw against approved invoices as they are raised.
Can a services business move away from an existing invoice finance provider?
Yes. Businesses often switch when an existing facility is not giving them the access to funds or the relationship they need. A broker can review the current arrangement and source a facility that better fits how the business trades, including one that lets it keep its own credit control.
The bottom line
For cleaning and sealant services businesses working with large contractors, cashflow is often a timing problem rather than a profitability one. With a panel of over 100 UK lenders, Spark Finance can source confidential invoice finance facilities of £290,000 and beyond that release the cash a business has already earned.
Spark Finance case studies are based on real client transactions; certain details, including location and amounts, have been changed to protect client confidentiality.
Check your eligibilityAbout the author
Callum Pond
Manager
Callum manages a portfolio of commercial finance cases at Spark Finance, specialising in structuring lending for growth-stage businesses and management buyouts. He has arranged facilities from short-term working capital loans to multi-million pound secured deals.