London financial district skyline, representing commercial mortgages and corporate banking facilities

Commercial & Corporate Banking Hub

Commercial lending is not a rate-card market. Pricing, loan-to-value and term are set case by case against the property, the covenant and the trading performance behind it, which is why two businesses with similar numbers can be quoted very differently.

This hub brings together the commercial and business finance we arrange, along with the guides explaining how lenders assess each one.

Property-secured business lending

A commercial mortgage is secured against property used for business purposes — shops, offices, industrial units, mixed-use buildings or agricultural land. Lenders look at the property, the income it produces or the trading performance of the occupying business, and the borrower’s experience. Terms are generally shorter than residential mortgages.

Owner-occupiers and investors are assessed differently. An owner-occupier is underwritten largely on the trading business; an investor on the strength and length of the tenant’s covenant. Agricultural and farm cases add their own considerations around diversified income and succession.

Commercial and agricultural mortgages — owner-occupier and investment
Leasehold business finance — where the security is a lease rather than a freehold
Secured loans and second charge mortgages — raising capital behind an existing facility
Bridging finance — where speed matters more than term
Development funding — ground-up schemes and conversions

Working capital and equipment

Not every business need is property-secured. Invoice factoring and invoice discounting release cash tied up in unpaid invoices — factoring hands collections to the funder, discounting keeps them in-house and is usually confidential. Which suits you depends largely on whether you have a credit control function.

Asset finance funds equipment, vehicles and machinery without paying the full cost upfront, usually as hire purchase or leasing, with the asset itself providing the security. Corporate banking and company loan facilities cover the wider requirements — acquisition funding, refinancing and structured facilities.

What lenders will ask for

Commercial applications are document-heavy compared with residential ones. Expect to provide two to three years of accounts, recent management figures, business bank statements, a schedule of any existing borrowing, and for investment cases the leases and tenancy schedule. A business plan is usually expected where the case involves an acquisition, a start-up trading position or a change of use.

The more complete that pack is at the outset, the faster the case moves. Incomplete information is the most common cause of delay, ahead of valuation.

Work out the numbers

Development finance calculator — indicative maximum facility
Bridging finance calculator — indicative loan-to-value
All calculators

A note on regulation

Most commercial mortgages, buy-to-let lending and bridging finance fall outside Financial Conduct Authority regulation, which means the protections attaching to a regulated residential mortgage do not apply. There are exceptions — for example where you or a close family member will occupy part of the property. We will always tell you clearly, in writing, whether a particular case is regulated before you proceed.

Where we advise

Commercial and business finance is arranged across England and Wales. The largest share of this work runs through Willenhall, where the Black Country’s industrial stock — workshops, light industrial units and trade counters — generates a steady flow of owner-occupier and investor cases alongside asset and invoice finance. Dagenham covers commercial and mixed-use premises across east London and the Essex borders, Rainham handles retail and mixed-use along the Havering corridor, and Putney deals with higher-value and leasehold business cases. See areas we cover for the postcodes each office serves.

Speak to an adviser

Tell us what the business does, what the security is and what you are trying to achieve, and we will tell you honestly whether it is fundable and roughly on what terms. Call 020 8088 2211 or send an enquiry. All of our advisers are qualified and regulated to advise on the products they recommend.

Giles Finance is a trading style of Giles Finance & Consultancy Services, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 726857).
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.
Most commercial mortgages, buy-to-let lending and bridging finance are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on any loan secured against it. Nothing on this page is tax advice; consult a qualified accountant or tax adviser about your own position.