Own the building your business works in.
Commercial mortgages for shops, offices, workshops, surgeries and investment property. Plain-English guides, real numbers, and an adviser who can take your case to the whole market.
Free first conversation. No credit check to get started.Who borrows, and what for
Most of our enquiries come from people who already run a business and are tired of paying someone else's mortgage through the rent.
Business owners buying their premises
Shops, cafés, workshops, surgeries and offices. Swap rent for a mortgage on a building you own.
Investors
Units and offices let to a business tenant.
Flat above a shop
Semi-commercial, with its own lenders.
Refinancing
A better rate, or money out of the building.
Pension purchases
A SIPP or SSAS buying the practice's premises.
Buying a business with its building
Pubs, hotels, care homes and nurseries bought as a going concern.
First commercial purchase
Moving out of rented space or residential buy-to-let for the first time.
From "we need premises" to keys in hand
Most people start by ringing their bank. The quicker route is to know your numbers, get the paperwork together, then let an adviser take the case to every lender at once.
Understand the options
Owner-occupier or investment, repayment or interest-only, high street or specialist lender.
Read the basicsKnow what it costs
Rate, fees, deposit, and what the monthly payment does to your cash flow.
Terms and ratesGet the file ready
Accounts, bank statements, the lease. A complete file can save weeks.
The checklistTalk to an adviser
One conversation: which lenders would do it, at what rate, and how long it would take.
Start an enquiry
Stop paying your landlord's mortgage.
If your rent is already covering a mortgage, it might as well be yours. Lenders will look at your trading profit, not just your savings.
A café owner buys her building
She has rented the unit for six years at £1,900 a month. The landlord offers to sell for £320,000.
Less than the rent she pays now, and in 20 years she owns the building outright. Your numbers will differ; the calculators work them out in two minutes.
Lenders say yes to files, not stories
Two years' accounts, six months' bank statements and the lease cover most of what a lender asks. Having them ready on day one is the difference between a six-week approval and a four-month one.
- Last two years' filed accounts
- Year-to-date management accounts
- Six months' business bank statements
- Assets and liabilities for each director
- Lease and rent schedule, for investment property
- Property details: address, price, use class, EPC
Run your own numbers in two minutes
No sign-up. Just the sums, with the assumptions written down.
Monthly repayments
Repayment or interest-only, any rate and term, and the total cost over the life of the loan.
Work out repaymentsHow much could I borrow?
From the business's profit or the rent, the way a lender works it out.
Check what you could borrowDeposit and costs
Deposit at your loan-to-value, commercial stamp duty, and the fees on top.
Add up the costsThe questions people ask first
Rates explained
Base rate plus margin, fixed vs variable, and why two businesses get quoted three points apart.
Owner-occupier vs investment
Two different products with different lenders, LTVs and tests. Which one you are, and why it matters.
Semi-commercial property
The flat above the shop: cheaper stamp duty, no BTL stress test, and the lenders who like it.
Fees and costs
Arrangement, valuation, legal, broker, exit. What is normal, what is negotiable, and what to budget.
Personal guarantees
Nearly every limited company loan has one. What it means, how to limit it, and when to push back.
Bridging first, mortgage after
Auctions, quick completions and properties that need work before a lender will touch them.
Straight answers
The things most people want to know before they pick up the phone.
What is a commercial mortgage?
A loan secured on a property that is used for business rather than as someone's home: a shop, office, warehouse, pub, surgery, workshop, or a mixed-use building like a flat above a shop. You use it either to buy premises for your own business (an owner-occupier mortgage) or to buy a commercial property to let to a business tenant (a commercial investment mortgage). The full explainer.
How much deposit do I need?
Usually 25% to 35% of the price. Lenders go to 70% to 75% loan-to-value for a strong owner-occupier, sometimes 80% for professions like dentists and vets; 65% to 70% for investment property. Specialist lenders may accept additional security (another property) instead of some of the cash. Work out yours.
What rate will I pay?
In 2026, roughly 6% to 9% for an owner-occupier with good accounts, and 7% to 10% for investment property, depending on the lender, the loan-to-value and the strength of the case. High street banks are cheapest but slowest and fussiest; challenger and specialist lenders cost more and say yes more often. Most loans are variable at a margin over Bank of England base rate; fixed rates for two to five years are available. Terms and rates in detail.
How long does it take?
Six to twelve weeks from a full application to the money, typically. Valuation and legal work take the time. Having two years of accounts, bank statements and (for investment) the lease ready on day one saves weeks. If you need to complete faster, a bridging loan followed by a commercial mortgage is a common route.
Is a commercial mortgage regulated?
Mostly not. A mortgage on a property used wholly for business is outside FCA regulation, which is why terms are negotiated rather than standardised. If you or your family will live in more than 40% of the property (a flat above your own shop, say), the loan becomes a regulated mortgage contract and must be arranged by an FCA-authorised firm; we introduce you to one in that case.
What does this website do?
It explains commercial mortgages in plain English, gives you three calculators to see your own numbers, and, if you want, introduces you to a commercial finance adviser who can place the loan. We are not a lender. The first conversation costs nothing and there is no obligation.
Who you'll speak to
Enquiries from this site go to the commercial finance team at Avantigo Capital. You deal with one person from first call to completion.
- A call or email back, usually within one working day
- Your case taken to high street, challenger and specialist lenders
- A straight answer if it can't be done, and why
Avantigo Capital Ltd
- Company no.
- 17216786
- ICO registration
- ZB904454
- Registered office
- 71–75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ
- Arranges
- Unregulated commercial finance
Ready to see what's possible?
Four short steps, rough figures are fine. An adviser comes back with which lenders fit, the rate to expect and how long it would take.