Property we can lend on
- Semi-commercial: shops, cafés or offices with flats above, typically up to 70% LTV.
- Commercial: offices, retail, light industrial, warehouses and other income-producing buildings, typically up to 65% LTV.
- Trading businesses and Opco-Propco: where the property and the business are owned together.
Some property types are harder to fund: day nurseries, religious buildings, schools, farms, nightclubs, casinos, cinemas, non-income-producing land, and single-use buildings with no alternative use.
From bridge to term
A common route is a bridge to buy or reposition a commercial property, then a 2 or 5 year fixed commercial mortgage once it's let or trading. Commercial term lenders typically want rent or EBITDA to cover the interest by at least 125%, and value commercial investments on open market value with limits on uplift from a 180-day value. We'll plan both stages at the start.
What we'll ask for
- Leases and rent roll, or trading accounts for owner-occupied businesses.
- The planning use class and any change of use you plan.
- Your experience with commercial property.
- Your exit and its timing.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as semi-commercial?
A building with both commercial and residential parts on one title, such as a shop with a flat above. Lenders usually want the commercial element to be no more than around 60% of the property.
Can you fund a vacant commercial building?
Often, on a bridge, at a lower LTV. The exit plan matters more: who will occupy it and how you'll refinance or sell.
Do you arrange commercial mortgages too?
Yes. We can arrange 2 and 5 year fixed commercial and semi-commercial term loans for the exit from your bridge.