Farm Building Finance: An Overview
Agricultural building finance covers the construction or purchase of a wide range of permanent farm structures - from grain stores and hay barns to livestock housing, workshops and covered yards. Asset finance is typically structured as hire purchase (HP) or finance lease, with terms of 2–10 years depending on the asset and lender.
Unlike commercial property finance, farm building finance does not typically require a formal RICS valuation for structures below £500,000, making it faster and simpler to arrange.
Current Farm Building Finance Rates - October 2026
| Lender | Rate From (APR) | Best For | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lombard | 5.8% | Large buildings £50k+ | 2–10 yrs |
| Close Brothers | 6.2% | All sizes, general agricultural | 2–10 yrs |
| Shawbrook | 6.4% | Specialist / unusual structures | 3–10 yrs |
| Aldermore | 6.6% | Flexible criteria, diversified farms | 2–10 yrs |
Agricultural Building Types We Can Finance
Grain & Crop Stores
Flat-floor, drive-through and hopper-bottom grain stores. Combinable with dryer and handling equipment finance.
Livestock Buildings
Cattle cubicle buildings, covered yards, calf housing, pig units and poultry housing.
Hay & Fodder Stores
Open-fronted hay barns, straw stores and silage clamp roofing structures.
Farm Workshops
Agricultural machinery workshops and implement stores.
General Purpose Buildings
Flexible-use agricultural buildings for multiple storage or livestock purposes.
Specialist Structures
Cold stores, controlled atmosphere stores, milking parlour buildings and specialist animal housing.
Planning & Permitted Development
Most specialist agricultural lenders will finance buildings erected under agricultural permitted development (Part 6, Class A of the GPDO in England), without requiring full planning permission. Always check with your lender before construction begins, and retain all prior approval or permitted development notifications.