The Guest House is a period 1803 hotel, a short distance from the heart of Canterbury. The existing finance facility was putting a strain on the business cash flow due to high interest payments and was harming the performance of the business, with the client even looking at the prospect of selling the business.

Upon hearing the issues Mr Gunn was facing whilst inspecting the business, Andrew Moore at Christie & Co put the client in contact with Chris Field from Christie Finance. As an independent broker, they were able to access the whole of Market and design a new finance facility to give the space for the business to breathe.

Funding was secured via a “Challenger Bank” on very commercial terms, with High Street lenders unable to help. The bank was able to buy-in to Mr Gunn’s talents, the current and projected trade for the business and the positive impact the refinance would have on cash flow. Other lenders were too focussed on historic Profit & Loss Accounts from the first couple of years and were unable to offer a viable solution. Full support was offered by the lender, after a member of the credit underwriting team form the bank visited the Guest House and met with Mr Gunn, providing much reassurance.

The client benefited immediately from the new funding package with his monthly repayments now around half what he was paying each month in interest alone and has freed up funds to complete some finishing touches to the Guest House.

Chris Field, Director of Christie Finance commented: “I’m absolutely delighted we could help Nick refinance his business, it makes absolute commercial sense and will allow him to enjoy the benefits, after all of the hard work he has put in transforming the business into what it is today. I am also confident that he now has a fantastic banking relationship that will continue for many years to come. It’s also especially satisfying, as others had tried to assist in the past and had failed”

Mr Gunn said, “I’m absolutely over the moon with what Chris has managed to achieve in refinancing my business. He’s certainly “The man who can” - initially, I thought that raising the money was impossible as another broker had failed to deliver and I was even considering selling... I would (and will) recommend Chris and his firm to anyone as they offer a platinum service, as well as a very personal working relationship whilst managing the whole process for me. My business is running at 100% occupancy now and we are looking forward to taking a well-earned day off one day soon...”