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Polytunnel Finance

Spread the cost of commercial polytunnels from £3,500 to £90,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance, compare rates from 40+ lenders.

Can you finance a polytunnel?

Yes, polytunnels are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £3,500 to £90,000, and most deals are written over 24–60 months with a deposit of around 10–20%. Decisions typically take 24–48 hours. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

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Typical Cost

£4k – £90k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for < £20k

Rates From

5.6% APR

What would a polytunnel cost per month?

£15,000
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical polytunnel price. Indicative only, not a quote.

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
From 6.0% APR
Term
24–60 months
Deposit
10–20%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Growers who own their land and plan to keep the tunnel through several re-cover cycles

Finance Lease

Rate
From 5.6% APR
Term
24–60 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for
Tax-efficient, claim 100% of payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate
From 6.8% APR
Term
24–36 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return at end
Best for
Growers testing additional growing area before committing to buy the range outright

Representative example

On a purchase price of £15,000: a 10% deposit of £1,500, then 48 monthly payments of £316 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £16,668, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification Guide price Type
Polythene re-cover on an existing frame £1,500 – £5,000 Re-cover
6m x 30m single-span polytunnel (frame and cover) £3,500 – £7,000 Single-span tunnel
9m x 40m commercial polytunnel (frame and cover) £8,000 – £16,000 Large single-span tunnel
Multi-span polytunnel range (5 x 9m bays) £40,000 – £90,000 Multi-span range

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Tax benefits

Because a polytunnel's steel hoop frame and polythene cover are lighter and more readily dismantled than a glasshouse, they are generally treated as plant and machinery rather than a building, and normally qualify for the Annual Investment Allowance up to £1,000,000 in the year of purchase. A polytunnel built on permanent foundations with solid sides is more likely to be treated as a structure; ask your accountant to confirm the treatment for your specific build before claiming, and note that seasonal payment profiles do not change the underlying tax position.

Market context

Polytunnels are bought by fruit and vegetable growers, market gardens and plant nurseries extending their growing season or adding covered growing space, and buying several tunnels or a multi-span range at once, timed ahead of planting, is a common way to expand capacity for a coming season. Finance suits this purchase because a season's growing capacity often depends on tunnel space being ready before planting starts, and the frame and cover are a single upfront cost that a grower would otherwise have to find from cash reserves at the busiest and most cash-constrained point in the growing calendar. Replacement spend is driven mainly by the polythene cover degrading under sustained UV exposure over a number of seasons, while the steel hoop frame itself lasts considerably longer, so many growers budget separately for a re-cover well before the frame needs attention. There is a modest secondhand market for reclaimed tunnel frames and hoops, though most polythene covers are bought new, since a UV-degraded cover has little resale value.

Bad credit?

Several of our 200+ lenders specialise in businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options exist. Checking your options here does not affect your credit score, because we do not run a credit search to match you. A lender will run their own checks only if you decide to apply.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a polytunnel taxed the same way as a greenhouse?
Not necessarily. A polytunnel's lightweight hoop frame and polythene cover are usually treated as plant and machinery because they can be dismantled and moved, unlike a glasshouse built on permanent foundations, which is more often treated as a structure. This means a polytunnel more often qualifies for the Annual Investment Allowance in full, but the exact treatment depends on how your specific tunnel is built and fixed, so confirm it with your accountant before claiming.
Can I finance just a re-cover, not a whole new tunnel?
Yes, and this is common practice since the polythene cover wears out well before the steel frame does. A re-cover is a smaller, shorter-term purchase than a full tunnel, and financing it separately from the frame keeps the cost proportionate to how long the new cover will actually last.
Are seasonal payment options available for polytunnel finance?
Many agricultural and horticultural lenders offer seasonal or profiled payment structures that align with when a grower's income actually arrives, rather than fixed equal monthly payments year-round. This can be useful for a business whose cash flow is concentrated around harvest, though it does not change the tax treatment of the tunnel itself.
What deposit is typical for a polytunnel purchase?
Expect a standard 10–20% deposit on hire purchase for a new tunnel or range. Finance and operating leases are often available with no deposit for growers with an established trading history, and a re-cover purchase, being a smaller item, sometimes attracts a lower deposit still.
Is there a secondhand market for polytunnel frames?
Yes, a modest one. Steel hoop frames last much longer than the polythene cover, so reclaimed frames are sometimes bought and re-covered rather than starting from new. Covers themselves are rarely bought secondhand, since UV degradation reduces their remaining life and it is difficult to judge how much use one has left.

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