Business Finance

Property-Backed Business Finance

Release the capital sitting in your trading premises, investment property or director-owned real estate. Lower rates, longer terms and bigger limits than any unsecured alternative.

What it is

The cheapest growth capital most UK SMEs can access

Property-backed business finance uses real estate as security for a loan deployed into a trading business. The property might be the company's own trading premises, an investment portfolio held by the business or its directors, or residential real estate owned personally. The cash unlocked goes straight into the operating entity for growth, working capital, acquisition, refinancing or shareholder transactions.

Because the lender has hard property security, pricing sits significantly below unsecured business loans, MCAs or invoice discounting. Term loans against commercial property currently price from around 6-9% APR, against residential security from around 5-7%, with terms of 5-25 years depending on profile. Bridging variants price higher but complete much faster, typically inside 3-4 weeks.

This is, quite simply, the most efficient growth capital most UK SMEs can access. A £2m property charged at 60% loan-to-value can support £1.2m of working capital at half the cost of an equivalent unsecured term loan, with three times the term and no personal cash flow constraint.

Doulton arranges property-backed business facilities across owner-occupied commercial mortgages, commercial investment loans, semi-commercial, mixed-use, residential buy-to-let portfolios standing behind a corporate borrower, and director-owned residential equity used to support corporate borrowing. Loan sizes from £100k up to £25m+ and beyond on syndicated deals.

We work with more than 130 specialist commercial property lenders, debt funds and private banks. Pricing varies dramatically by lender, sector and asset type, which is exactly why running three to four real quotes in parallel saves the business meaningful money over the term.

Get a Quote Call 0204 6211776

£100k - £25m+

Loan size

5.50% APR

Rates from

1 - 25 years

Term

Up to 75%

LTV

Why Doulton

What makes this work in practice

Commercial mortgage equity release

Remortgage owner-occupied trading premises at current open-market value. Free up the equity gained as the property has appreciated and redeploy it into the operating business.

Investment property capital release

Refinance a commercial or residential investment portfolio held by the business or directors. Release equity for growth, acquisition or director loan repayment.

Director real estate as security

Directors with substantial residential equity can support corporate borrowing using personal property as security. Common where the business is trading well but is young or low on retained earnings.

Acquisition finance

Use property security to fund the acquisition of a competitor, a target asset or a management buyout. Far cheaper and longer term than equity dilution or vendor finance.

Refinance higher-cost facilities

Roll up multiple short-term unsecured loans, MCAs and asset finance agreements onto a single longer-term property-backed facility. Slash monthly outgoing, extend the runway.

Bridge then term

Where speed matters, bridge first on light-touch documentation in 2-4 weeks, then refinance onto a long-term commercial mortgage at lower pricing. Two-stage funding designed in one package.

The process

How it works

Property and ask

Tell us the property (address, type, your estimate of value, any existing charges), the loan amount and what the cash is for. We can indicate price and LTV within hours.

Whole-of-market quotes

We approach 3-4 lenders most active in your property type, business sector and loan size. You see real comparable headline rate, fees, term and security package.

Valuation and underwriting

RICS valuation instructed, lender's credit team reviews the trading business and the security. Most cases clear underwriting in 3-6 weeks for term, 2-3 weeks for bridge.

Legals and drawdown

Solicitors complete the charge documentation and report on title. Funds release to your solicitor on completion and go straight into the trading account.

Unlock the capital sitting in your property

Send the property details and the amount you want to raise. We will come back within hours with real indicative quotes from our specialist commercial property panel. No upfront fees on loans over £1m.

Get a Quote Call 0204 6211776

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

What business finance options can Doulton arrange?

Unsecured business loans, secured commercial loans, asset and equipment finance, invoice finance (factoring and discounting), merchant cash advance, revolving credit facilities, commercial mortgages, and working-capital facilities for limited companies, LLPs and sole traders.

How much can my business borrow?

We arrange business funding from £10,000 for simple unsecured facilities, up to £5m+ for secured commercial lending. Asset and invoice finance scale with the underlying asset or debtor book respectively.

How quickly can I access business funding?

Unsecured online business loans and merchant cash advances can fund in 24-72 hours. Asset finance typically completes in 3-10 working days. Larger secured facilities follow a 2-6 week underwriting and legal timeline.

Do I need to be profitable to get a business loan?

Not always. Many alternative lenders underwrite on turnover, card takings, sales ledger or asset value rather than net profit. Early-stage businesses and turnaround situations are often better served by specialist funders than high-street banks.

Will directors need to give personal guarantees?

Personal guarantees are common on unsecured and lightly-secured business lending, usually capped at a percentage of the facility. Secured lending backed by property or specific assets often reduces or removes the PG requirement.

Related finance

Explore related pages

Other Doulton specialisms and lenders that commonly fit alongside this one. We always compare the full 130+ lender panel before recommending a deal.