How we work
A broker who only switches you if the numbers stack up
Most dentists who took out a practice loan three or four years ago could be on a meaningfully better rate today. Rates change, lender appetite changes, and your own practice performance changes – all three move in your favour over time if the practice has been growing. But few owners review their existing borrowing the way they review their car insurance. We do that review for you.
Samera Finance is an independent commercial finance broker authorised by the FCA (FRN 757431) and a member of the NACFB. We’re not tied to any lender. When we take a refinance to market, we take it to every healthcare lender in the UK and come back with the strongest available terms. You decide whether moving is worth it.
We only recommend switching if the saving on your monthly repayments, after factoring in any early repayment charges and moving costs, materially exceeds what you’d pay to stay. If it doesn’t, we’ll tell you – the conversation costs you nothing and the honest answer is sometimes “your current deal is good, stay where you are.”
How we charge – and how we don’t
Refinance brokerage is free to you. We’re paid commission by the lender on completion. We tell you upfront what we’re being paid and confirm it in writing before you sign anything. If we review your existing loan and conclude the saving doesn’t justify the move, you pay us nothing.
When to refinance
Six signals it’s time to take your loan back to market
Refinancing isn’t right for every owner every year. But there are six conditions where it usually pays to look, and we see at least one of them on most dental practice loans more than two years old.
Your loan is more than two years old
Rates and lender appetite have moved. Dental healthcare lending is more competitive in 2026 than it was in 2022-2023. If you haven’t reviewed your loan since you took it, you should.
You’re paying base + 3% or more
Strong dental practice acquisitions are being placed below base + 2% in the current market. If your rate is 3% above base or higher, the gap is usually big enough to justify the move.
Your commitment period is ending
Initial loan agreements often have a fixed commitment period (3-5 years) after which the lender’s rate stops being competitive. The lender will quietly let you drift onto worse terms – this is the moment to test the market.
The practice has grown since you borrowed
Lenders price on risk. A practice with three years of strong trading is a different risk profile to the one that originally borrowed. Better risk profile usually means better rate available.
You want to release equity for reinvestment
If the practice has appreciated in value, a refinance can release capital for a second site, equipment investment, or partnership buy-out without taking on a separate facility.
You’re consolidating multiple loans
Practices often accumulate two or three facilities over time – the original acquisition loan, an equipment loan, a working capital facility. Consolidating into one cleaner facility usually reduces the blended rate and simplifies the cash flow.
When your situation is more complex than a single-loan refinance
Some owners arrive with a more tangled position – multiple loans across different entities, covenants under pressure, a debt structure that’s blocking a sale or raise, or a group-level reorganisation alongside the refinance. The brokerage work still happens here. What changes is what sits alongside it. For multi-site groups under pressure, the refinance usually runs in parallel with strategic work from Samera Growth Advisory or the Financial Infrastructure build – the financial leadership that gets the group’s underlying position investor-grade before the new lender prices the deal. If your situation sits in that bracket, the free review is the starting point either way. We’ll tell you on the call whether what you need is straight brokerage or brokerage paired with strategic finance work.
When NOT to refinance
Sometimes the existing deal is the right deal
Not every refinance opportunity is worth taking. The conversation we have with you starts with the moving costs – early repayment charges on your existing loan, arrangement fees on the new one, legal costs if security has to transfer, and the time and disruption involved in the application process. The headline rate saving has to clear all of that.
There are situations where moving doesn’t make sense:
- Your existing loan has less than 18 months to run – the saving over a short remaining term rarely covers the moving costs.
- Your early repayment charges are punitive – some lenders’ ERCs can wipe out years of rate saving.
- Your practice has recently traded below the original projections – lenders re-rate on current performance, and a weaker year can push your refinance rate up not down.
- Your existing lender is already at the market floor – rare, but it happens, particularly on strong group portfolios with relationship pricing.
We tell you which of these applies before you commit to anything. The free review is exactly that – free. If we conclude the move isn’t right for you, you walk away no worse off than when you arrived.
What this looks like in practice
A small rate change is a big number over the life of a loan
A 1.6% rate reduction on an £800,000 loan over a 20-year term is worth £173,240 over the life of the loan. The monthly repayment falls from £5,844 to £5,196 – that’s £648 of additional cash flow every month for two decades.
| Existing loan | Refinanced loan | |
|---|---|---|
| Loan amount | £800,000 | £800,000 |
| Term | 20 years | 20 years |
| Rate above base | + 4.00% | + 2.40% |
| Effective rate (current base) | 6.25% | 4.65% |
| Monthly repayment | £5,844 | £5,196 |
| Total cost over term | £1,403,520 | £1,230,240 |
| Saving | £173,240 |
The numbers above use a UK base rate at the time of writing. Actual savings depend on your loan size, remaining term, any early repayment charges and the lender’s current pricing. Use the calculator further down the page to model your own loan.
Want to know what your loan could look like refinanced?
Free, no-obligation review of your existing agreement against the current market. We’ll tell you the rate range we’d expect to achieve and the saving against your existing repayments.
Process
From enquiry to drawdown – in five steps
- Free review – A no-obligation call to understand your existing loan, the remaining term, your early repayment charges and the practice’s current trading position. We tell you honestly whether refinancing is likely to save you money before you spend any time on paperwork.
- We assess the market – We approach lenders best matched to your deal – specialist healthcare lenders, high street banks and challenger banks alike. We come back with the indicative rate range we’d expect to achieve.
- You decide whether to proceed – If the indicative saving is material, we move ahead. If it isn’t, we tell you and you stay where you are. No fee either way.
- Application packaged and submitted – We package the refinance properly. Lenders see a clean, structured application that addresses their assessment criteria directly. We handle all lender communication.
- Offers compared – you choose, we complete – We come back with the strongest offers in writing. You decide which one fits. We coordinate the legal and security transfer through to drawdown and pay-off of the existing facility.
Repayment calculator
Adjust the sliders to compare your existing loan against an indicative refinanced rate. The calculator uses standard compound amortisation.
Disclaimer: Indicative only. Calculated using standard amortisation assuming a fixed rate over the full term. Real saving depends on early repayment charges on your existing loan, arrangement fees on the new one, and lender pricing at the time of application. Book a free review for a market-based estimate.
Recent refinancing deals
What we’ve placed for dentists this year
A quick look at recent refinancing deals. Numbers and structures are accurate; client identities withheld.
We Sourced
£1,100,000
Refinance agreed to cover original bank debt and a substantial amount of short term debt.
We Sourced
£600,000
For a London dental practice to refinance and take cash out of the business.
We Sourced
£3.5 million
Credit-backed agreement for refinance and new money loan to a north London group of practices.
Detailed case studies
The three cases below are real Samera refinancing transactions. Numbers and outcomes are accurate; client identities withheld.
Around £300k | South East England | Improved monthly repayment
A dental practice owner in the South East came to us when their existing commercial mortgage was approaching the end of its term and they were looking to refinance rather than accept the lender’s standard reversion rate. With no major complications in their financial profile or practice performance, the work was straightforward – secure a more competitive interest rate and reduce the ongoing cost of servicing the debt. We secured a refinance of around £300,000 on improved terms, delivering meaningful savings on monthly repayments and giving the practice owner greater financial breathing room. A clean, efficient deal – sometimes the most impactful thing we can do is make an existing commitment less expensive.
Around £800k | South East England | Refinance + start-up
A dental business in the South East came to us with a two-part requirement – start-up finance for a newly incorporated practice entity, alongside a substantial refinance of an existing company loan. The complication was the inter-company lending structure. Providing the loan to the established entity was straightforward, but transferring those funds to the new company raised compliance questions under HMRC’s loan relationship rules. Getting this right required careful legal documentation, input from the client’s tax advisors, and a clear framework to satisfy both the lender and HMRC’s requirements – the kind of detail that, if overlooked, can create significant problems down the line. Working through the structure methodically, we arranged the full loan of around £800,000 covering both the refinance and the start-up finance for the new entity.
Buying group introduction
A two-practice owner asked us about refinancing. We were upfront that moving costs might make switching uneconomical on the current loan, but agreed to review the market. During the process the client was introduced to the Samera Buying Group – free to join, offering savings on consumables, lab, equipment, IT, CQC support and utilities. The client joined and identified cost savings across both sites while the finance review continued. Honest framing pays off both ways.
Who you’ll work with
Speak to the dental finance broker team
Book a free, no-obligation refinance review directly with the team member whose work matches what you need.
Business Development – Finance and Accountancy Services
- Refinancing dental practice loans
- Acquisition finance
- Property finance and commercial mortgages
- Asset finance
- Samera Alliance – Dental Buying Group
CEO
- Strategic finance for dental groups and DSOs
- Group-level refinancing and consolidation
- Capital strategy for multi-site portfolios
- Dental Practice Sales – £1m+ Only
Or send us a message
If you’d prefer to send us your details rather than book a call, fill in the form below and our team will be in touch as soon as possible.
- Phone: (+44) 20 7100 8788
- WhatsApp: Message us on WhatsApp
What clients say
…the team have been wonderful at helping me refinance my business. Highly recommend!
Chris Brann – 5 Stars
Successfully renegotiated our 2 practice loans. It was a hassle-free process, that resulted in a better interest rate. I will happily use Samera’s commercial finance service again.
Anonymous – 5 Stars
…His extensive industry connections enable him to find the best deals available, and his responsiveness and approachability make the entire process seamless. Highly recommended for anyone in need of a reliable finance broker!
Mahinthan Kathir – 5 Stars
Very helpful and always on top of the latest developments in the market. Well done! Great service!
Ricardo Macedo – 5 Stars
.. looked after us throughout the process of investing in dental practice … extremely approachable, methodical and most of all professional. He used language we could understand and no task was too onerous or complicated. He saw opportunities when others saw hurdles. Communication is one of his strongest points and doing so in a clear and concise way helped us immensely. I strongly recommend… Samera as a company to anyone
Riham Ghamry – 5 Stars
…I would give him 10 stars if I could. Very knowledgeable and helpful throughout the whole process. Stress free from beginning to end. I would Highly recommend him to anyone.
Fiona King – 5 Stars
Related reading
Guides to refinancing your practice loan
Refinancing and Restructuring Debt
Webinar – what you need to know about refinancing and restructuring your debts and finance.
Dealing With Debt as a Dentist
Arun on debt structure, when to be cautious, and how to handle existing borrowing as a practice owner.
How Should a Dental Practice Organise its Finances
Arun on building the right financial structure for a dental practice – the wider context inside which a refinance decision sits.
Related services
Other ways Samera supports practice owners
Dental practice finance broker
The full Samera Finance brokerage hub – acquisition, asset, property, tax loans and refinance in one place.
Property finance
Commercial mortgages for the freehold of practice premises. PropCo structures for tax-efficient ownership.
Asset finance
Chairs, scanners, CBCT machines and other equipment. Often arranged within days.
Tax and VAT loans
Spread an unexpected tax or VAT bill across monthly instalments to protect practice cash flow.
Samera Growth Advisory
For multi-site groups with complex debt structures or covenants under pressure. Monthly advisory retainer from £1,500/mo that pairs with brokerage when one loan switch is not the whole answer.
Accounts for dental practice owners
The accountancy and tax service that pairs with your refinanced loan.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if refinancing is worth it for me?
The honest answer needs three numbers – your existing rate, the rate we could realistically achieve, and your early repayment charges (if any) on the existing loan. Book a free review and we’ll model all three for you. If the saving doesn’t justify the move, we’ll tell you – and that’s the end of the conversation. There’s no fee for the review itself.
How much could I save by refinancing?
It depends on the gap between your existing rate and the current market rate. As a rough rule, every 0.5% rate reduction on a £500,000 loan over 20 years saves roughly £40,000-£50,000 in total interest cost. The worked example further up this page shows £173,240 saved on an £800,000 loan with a 1.6% rate reduction. Use the calculator on this page to model your own loan.
Are there any fees for the refinance brokerage?
No. Refinance brokerage is free to you. We’re paid commission by the lender on completion, and we tell you what we’re being paid in writing before you sign anything. If we review your existing loan and recommend you don’t switch, you pay us nothing.
What about the early repayment charge on my existing loan?
We factor this into the analysis upfront. Some loans have no ERC after the initial fixed period. Others have stepped ERCs that reduce over time. A few have heavy ERCs that wipe out years of rate saving. We tell you which applies and whether the move still makes sense after the ERC is paid. If it doesn’t, we recommend waiting until the ERC reduces or expires.
How long does refinancing take?
From application to drawdown typically takes 6 to 12 weeks. The new lender needs your existing accounts, recent management information and details of the existing facility. Security transfer (where required) adds 2-4 weeks to the back end as solicitors handle the legal release from the old lender and registration with the new one. If no security transfer is needed – which is increasingly common – the timeline can be shorter.
Will I need to provide new security or guarantees?
Sometimes, but not always. If you’re moving lenders, the existing lender’s security has to be released and the new lender’s security registered. Where the new lender is comfortable taking over the existing security position, the legal process is straightforward. Where they need additional or different security, we tell you upfront so there are no surprises in the legal phase.
My loan is only 18 months old – is it too early to refinance?
Possibly, but it depends on the gap. If your existing rate is meaningfully above the current market rate (say, base + 3% or higher when the market is offering base + 1.5% to base + 2%), the saving over the remaining term may still justify the move even with ERCs in play. We model this honestly – sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it’s “wait 18 months and review again”.
Can I release equity from the practice as part of the refinance?
Yes, if the practice has appreciated in value since you originally borrowed and your trading supports the higher repayment. Common reasons to release equity at refinance: deposit for a second practice, equipment investment, partnership buy-out, or releasing capital for an unrelated investment. We model the affordability and approach lenders with appetite for capital-release deals.
I’ve been turned down for a refinance before – is it worth trying again?
Yes – a previous rejection doesn’t prevent a future application. The most common cause of a refinance rejection is the application being structured wrong or sent to a lender without appetite for the deal. We work with specialist healthcare lenders who assess differently to high street banks. See our guide to declined loan applications for the most common causes and the fixes.
Speak to a dental finance specialist
Free, no-obligation refinance review. We’ll tell you honestly whether you could save money by switching – and if you couldn’t, we’ll tell you that too.