Property finance that fits the structure you’ve chosen.
Buy-to-let, semi-commercial, full commercial and portfolio lending. Each is a different conversation — with different lenders, different stress tests, and different implications for the wider tax and corporate picture.
Commercial lending isn’t residential with bigger numbers.
Commercial and BTL lending sits in a different part of the market — specialist lenders, different underwriting rules, different stress tests, and structures (personal name vs SPV, for example) that change the entire economics of the deal.
The right structure depends on what you’re buying, how many properties you already own, your tax position, and where the income is going to land. Get the structure wrong and you can hand large amounts of profit to HMRC for no good reason. Get it right and the deal often pays for itself within the first hold period.
Whole-of-market access matters here even more than in residential — the difference between a high-street BTL rate and a specialist portfolio rate can be measured in percentage points, not basis points.
The cost of the wrong structure.
Buying property in the wrong name, with the wrong lender, can be locked in for years before it becomes obvious.
With specialist advice
- SPV vs personal-name decision modelled against tax and growth plans
- Portfolio landlord lender access — stress-tested at the right metric
- Semi-commercial vs full BTL classification understood and used
- Term, repayment type and rate structure modelled across hold periods
- Pension structures considered for commercial premises
- Coordinated with corporation tax, IHT and exit planning
Without it
- BTL bought in personal name, paying additional tax on mortgage interest
- High-street rate paid when specialist lenders would beat it
- Portfolio stress test failed at the wrong lender, deal collapses
- Stamp duty paid wrongly because of misclassified property type
- Commercial premises bought personally instead of via the pension
- Refinancing missed because the existing deal was set-and-forget
Strategy, not product pushing.
A four-step process that’s the same for every client — though the conclusions never are.
Understand the deal and the picture
The property, the purpose, your existing portfolio, your wider tax and corporate position.
Decide on structure
SPV, personal name, pension purchase, JV. Each modelled for the next 5–10 years before the application starts.
Source and arrange the lending
Whole-of-market for residential investment, plus specialist commercial brokers where the deal requires it. Underwriting handled.
Keep it relevant
Annual portfolio review, deals coming off fix flagged in advance, opportunities to refinance captured before they expire.
Things people often ask.
SPV or personal name for buy-to-let?
Depends on your tax band, the number of properties you’ll hold, whether you plan to draw the income or reinvest, and your IHT picture. For higher-rate taxpayers building a portfolio, an SPV (limited company) usually wins. For one or two properties drawn for income, personal name often still works.
What’s a portfolio landlord?
HMRC and lenders define it as someone with four or more mortgaged buy-to-let properties. Portfolio landlords are stress-tested at portfolio level (not just the new deal), and not every lender plays in that market — so access matters.
What about semi-commercial property?
A property that’s part residential, part commercial (a shop with a flat above, for example) often qualifies for commercial stamp duty rates rather than residential — which can save tens of thousands. The classification needs to be correct from day one.
Can my pension help buy commercial property?
Yes — SIPPs and SSASs can hold commercial property and can also borrow up to 50% of fund value to complete the purchase. It’s a powerful structure for buying your own business premises tax-efficiently.
How long are commercial mortgage terms?
Typically 5–25 years, often with the rate fixed for 3–5 years inside that. Variable-rate commercial lending exists but tends to come with higher margins. Each deal needs to be modelled against the hold period, not just the rate at outset.
What about HMO and student lets?
Both have specialist lender pools and specific licensing requirements. They’re a separate conversation from standard single-let BTL and need their own underwriting and structuring — happy to walk through whether they fit your strategy.
Let’s start with a conversation.
An initial chat is without obligation. Whether you’re buying your first BTL or refinancing a portfolio, the first call is about the structure — not the rate.