Industrial property finance and investment guides
Plain-English guides to buying, building, refurbishing, investing in and financing industrial and logistics property in the UK.
These guides cover the industrial and logistics sector end to end: how to buy an industrial unit or a distribution warehouse, whether to rent or buy premises for your business, how multi-let industrial investment works, what buildings cost to build and refurbish, how the finance stack works from bridging to mezzanine, and what the UK market data says about rents, vacancy and yields. They are written by Matt Lenzie, who has arranged more than £500 million of property finance over 25 years. When you want a real view on a deal, send it to us and we will come back within one working day.
How to buy an industrial unit or estate: process, valuation and funding.
How to buy an industrial unit
A step-by-step guide to buying an industrial unit in the UK: finding units for sale, due diligence, valuation, freehold vs leasehold, and the finance that funds the purchase.
Read guide →Finding industrial units for sale
Where to find industrial units for sale in the UK, what listings really mean, auctions and off-market deals, and how to fund the purchase once you find one.
Read guide →How industrial property is valued
How industrial units and estates are valued in the UK: rental evidence, yields, ERV, vacant possession vs investment value, and what lenders instruct valuers to do.
Read guide →Buying Commercial Property at Auction
How buying commercial property at auction works in the UK: the legal pack, the 10 percent deposit, fees, finance and the pitfalls. Arranger guide, not advice.
Read guide →Buying Commercial Property Through a Limited Company
Buying commercial property through a limited company or SPV in the UK: stamp duty, tax, deposits, lender appetite and personal guarantees. Arranger guide.
Read guide →Commercial Property Due Diligence
A commercial property due diligence checklist for UK buyers: title, planning, leases, survey, environmental and finance. What to check before you buy.
Read guide →How to Buy Commercial Property With No Money
Can you buy commercial property with no money in the UK? An honest look at bridging, JV, vendor finance and equity, what is realistic and what is not.
Read guide →Freehold vs Leasehold Commercial Property
Freehold vs leasehold commercial property in the UK: the differences, how each is financed, ground rent and service charge, and how to choose. Arranger guide.
Read guide →Buying premises for your trading business: rent vs buy, deposits and owner-occupier mortgages.
Buying premises for your business
How trading businesses buy their own industrial premises in the UK: the process, deposits, owner-occupier commercial mortgages, SIPP and SSAS routes, and the pitfalls.
Read guide →Renting vs buying an industrial unit
Whether a trading business should rent or buy its industrial unit: the cash flow maths, control and security, tax treatment, and how an owner-occupier mortgage compares to rent.
Read guide →Commercial mortgage deposits
Commercial mortgage deposits explained: typical loan to value for owner-occupiers and investors, what changes the deposit, and ways to bridge an equity gap.
Read guide →Buying Business Premises Through a Pension (SSAS or SIPP)
How a UK business buys its own commercial premises through a SSAS or SIPP pension: the mechanics, the rent, borrowing limits, tax and the specialist advice you need.
Read guide →Owner-Occupier vs Investment Commercial Mortgage
The difference between an owner-occupier and an investment commercial mortgage, how lenders underwrite each on trading profits versus rent, and which one you need.
Read guide →How Much Can My Business Borrow for Premises?
How much a UK business can borrow for its premises: the loan to value cap, the affordability test on your trading profits, deposit and the figures lenders use.
Read guide →Yields, distribution and multi-let income and what industrial and logistics property actually returns in the UK.
Is industrial property a good investment?
Whether industrial property is a good investment in the UK: rents, vacancy, yields and risks, with sourced market data and how investors finance units and estates.
Read guide →Multi-let industrial investment explained
How multi-let industrial investment works: granular SME income, reversionary rents, management intensity, why institutions bought into MLI, and how lenders fund estates.
Read guide →Industrial property yields
UK industrial property yields with sources: prime distribution, logistics and multi-let benchmarks, the spread to secondary, what moves yields, and how yield shapes the debt a purchase supports.
Read guide →Sale and Leaseback Explained
How a sale and leaseback works on UK industrial property: the structure, the price-versus-rent trade, the tax and accounting points, and how we finance the buyer.
Read guide →Commercial Property Void Periods
What a void period costs an industrial investor in lost rent, empty rates and service charge, how to model it, and how lenders treat voids when sizing a loan.
Read guide →Commercial Property Rent Reviews
How commercial rent reviews work: open market and index-linked reviews, upward-only clauses, the process and costs, and why reviews drive value and lending.
Read guide →Refinancing to Release Equity
How to refinance commercial property to release equity: how it works, how much you can pull out at typical LTVs, when it makes sense, and how we arrange it.
Read guide →Industrial Property Investment for Beginners
A beginner's guide to UK industrial property investment: why the sector, what to buy, the numbers, the pitfalls, how much you need, and how the finance works.
Read guide →Construction costs, use classes and refurbishment for industrial units and trade parks.
Industrial unit construction costs
What it costs to build an industrial unit in the UK: shell and fit-out costs per sq ft, steel portal frames, small-unit schemes, and the development finance behind them.
Read guide →Industrial planning use classes
The planning use classes behind industrial property: B2 general industrial, B8 storage and distribution, E(g)(iii) light industrial, sui generis yards, and why use class matters to lenders.
Read guide →Refurbishing industrial units
Refurbishing industrial units in the UK: typical works and costs, EPC and MEES deadlines, the rental uplift case, and the refurbishment finance that funds the works.
Read guide →Industrial development appraisal explained
How an industrial development appraisal works: GDV, residual land value and profit on cost, with a worked example and how UK development finance funds the build.
Read guide →Speculative vs pre-let industrial development
Speculative, pre-let or build-to-suit: how each industrial development route is funded, what it costs and which one suits your scheme, with a UK comparison table.
Read guide →New build vs second-hand industrial units
New build or second-hand industrial unit? How cost, EPC, specification, finance and value compare, with a UK decision table to help you choose.
Read guide →The finance stack explained: mezzanine, bridging, development and term debt.
Mezzanine finance explained
What mezzanine finance is and how it works in UK property: where it sits in the capital stack, rates, security, risks, and when developers use it.
Read guide →Bridging loan vs term loan
Bridging finance and term debt compared for commercial property: speed, cost, criteria and exits, and how deals move from a bridge onto a commercial mortgage.
Read guide →What Is a Commercial Mortgage?
A commercial mortgage is a long-term loan secured on business property. How it works, deposits, rates and how it differs from a residential mortgage.
Read guide →How Does Development Finance Work?
How development finance works in the UK: staged drawdowns, day-one land advance, rolled-up interest, exit, costs and how much you can borrow.
Read guide →Bridging Loan vs Development Finance
Bridging loan or development finance? How the two short-term products differ on drawdown, cost, ground-up build and exit, and which suits your project.
Read guide →Interest Cover and DSCR Explained
What the interest cover ratio and DSCR mean on a commercial mortgage, how lenders calculate and stress them, and what counts as an acceptable ratio.
Read guide →Commercial Mortgage Broker vs Bank
Broker or bank for a commercial mortgage? An honest look at panel access, pricing, fees and effort, and when going direct to your bank is the right call.
Read guide →The UK industrial and logistics market: distribution and multi-let rents, vacancy, yields and the open storage story.
The UK industrial property market
The UK industrial and logistics market explained with sourced data: distribution and multi-let rents, vacancy, prime yields, investment volumes and what it means for borrowers.
Read guide →The UK open storage market
The UK open storage (IOS) market explained: what counts as open storage, why institutional money arrived, rents and planning constraints, and how yards are financed.
Read guide →Distribution and logistics warehouses explained: big-box and multi-let, last-mile and urban logistics, and how the sheds are financed.
What is a distribution warehouse?
What a distribution warehouse is, how it differs from a general warehouse, the main types in the UK, and how the buildings are bought and financed.
Read guide →Distribution centre vs warehouse
The difference between a distribution centre and a warehouse: purpose, inventory turnover, building specification, and what each means for value and finance.
Read guide →What is last-mile logistics property?
What last-mile logistics property is, why it matters, the building types, the supply problem, and how these urban delivery assets are valued and financed.
Read guide →Big-box vs multi-let industrial
Big-box versus multi-let industrial property compared: tenants, leases, rents, yields, risk and finance, to help investors choose between the two.
Read guide →What is urban logistics property?
What urban logistics property is, why investors want it, the supply constraints, the building types, and how these city-edge logistics assets are financed.
Read guide →Cold storage warehouse finance
How cold storage and temperature-controlled warehouses are financed in the UK: the specialist building, the costs, the risks lenders weigh, and the funding routes.
Read guide →How to finance a distribution warehouse
How to finance a distribution warehouse in the UK: warehouse mortgages, deposits, rates, the interest cover test, and the finance routes for buyers and developers.
Read guide →What industrial property and its finance actually cost: prices per sq ft, deposits, commercial mortgage rates, fees, stamp duty and survey costs.
How much does an industrial unit cost?
What an industrial unit costs to buy in the UK: prices per sq ft, the deposit, stamp duty, fees and survey, plus the finance that funds it. Sourced figures, no jargon.
Read guide →Commercial mortgage rates in the UK
How commercial mortgage rates work in the UK: indicative ranges for term, bridging and development debt, what sets your rate, fixed vs variable, and how to get the keenest deal.
Read guide →Can you get a 90 percent commercial mortgage?
Whether a 90 percent commercial mortgage is realistic in the UK, the usual loan to value ceilings, the routes to higher leverage, and how to bridge the deposit gap sensibly.
Read guide →Stamp duty on commercial property
How stamp duty land tax works on commercial property in the UK: the non-residential SDLT bands, a worked example, leases, limited companies, and Scotland LBTT and Wales LTT.
Read guide →Commercial mortgage fees explained
Every fee on a commercial mortgage explained: arrangement, valuation, legal, broker and exit fees, what each costs, which are added to the loan, and how to keep the total down.
Read guide →Commercial property survey cost
What a commercial building survey costs in the UK: RICS survey levels 1, 2 and 3, indicative price ranges, what drives the cost, and which survey to choose for an industrial unit.
Read guide →Use classes, change of use, EPC and MEES, business rates and the lease terms that shape an industrial deal.
Industrial Property Planning and Compliance: The Complete Guide
Planning permission, use classes, EPC and MEES, business rates and leases for UK industrial property, and how each shapes value and finance. Arranger, not lender.
Read guide →B8 Use Class Explained: Storage and Distribution
What the B8 use class covers in England, how it differs from B2 and Class E, permitted development to and from B8, and what it means for value and finance.
Read guide →Change of Use for Commercial and Industrial Property
When a change of use needs planning permission, what triggers it, how to apply, and how the planning gap is financed. UK industrial property. Arranger, not lender.
Read guide →EPC and MEES for Commercial Property: The Rules Explained
The current EPC and MEES rules for commercial property: the minimum E to let since 2023, the proposed C and B trajectory under consultation, exemptions and finance.
Read guide →Business Rates on Industrial Property Explained
How business rates on industrial property work: rateable value, the multiplier, reliefs, empty property rates and how rates affect occupier demand and value.
Read guide →FRI Lease Explained: Full Repairing and Insuring
What an FRI lease is, how full repairing and insuring terms work, FRI versus IRI, what a tenant takes on, and how the lease shapes industrial value and finance.
Read guide →Dilapidations in Commercial Property Explained
What dilapidations are, the types, the schedule and the protocol, how claims are valued and capped, and how the dilapidations position affects industrial value.
Read guide →Got an industrial deal in mind?
Send us the outline and we will come back with a view on fundability and likely terms within one working day.