Semi-commercial mortgage broker

What a semi-commercial mortgage broker does

A semi-commercial mortgage broker arranges finance for mixed-use property. We assess the deal, package it for lenders, run it across a panel of banks and specialists, and present the offers so the right one is chosen.

We are a finance arranger and introducer, not a lender. We do not lend our own money; we connect a borrower with the lender whose appetite and pricing best fit the property.

Why a mixed-use deal needs a specialist

Semi-commercial property sits between the residential and commercial worlds, and many lenders treat it as a niche. The criteria turn on the commercial-to-residential split, the covenant and the structure, which a generalist may not know how to present.

A specialist knows which lenders back which assets, how each assesses the combined rent, and how to package a case so it underwrites cleanly the first time. That knowledge is what turns a marginal deal into a funded one.

It also avoids wasted applications. Approaching the wrong lender for a use class or a structure leads to a decline and a hard credit footprint, which can make the next lender warier. Knowing the panel means going to the lenders that will say yes, in the right order.

How we run your case across the panel

1. We assess the property, the split, the income and your plan
2. We package the case with the rent roll, leases and structure
3. We run it across the lenders whose appetite fits the asset
4. We present the offers side by side, with the all-in cost
5. We manage valuation, underwriting and legals through to completion

Many specialist semi-commercial lenders work through intermediaries only, so a broker is the route to the full panel rather than a single bank's view.

The lender panel we work with

We place cases with both high street banks and specialist lenders:

Running a case across the panel means the lender with the best fit competes for it, which is where a broker earns the fee.

What we arrange, and what we refer out

Our lending is unregulated. We arrange semi-commercial finance for business and investment borrowers, which is outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter.

Where an individual borrower will personally occupy the residential element, the loan can fall under FCA-regulated rules, and we refer those cases to a regulated firm. We are not claiming to be FCA authorised.

Who we work with

• Investors buying mixed-use property to let both parts
• Limited companies and SPVs building a semi-commercial portfolio
• Business owners buying premises they trade from
• Borrowers refinancing or exiting a bridge onto a term loan

We work across the full range of mixed-use assets, from a shop with a flat above to a retail parade with residential uppers or a pub with accommodation.

What we need from you to start

A first view on fundability and likely terms takes only a short conversation, but the more you can set out up front, the faster we can place the case:

1. The property, its use and the rough commercial-to-residential split
2. Whether you will let both parts or trade from the commercial unit
3. The rent on each part, or the trading figures if you occupy
4. The structure you plan to use, personal or limited company
5. Your deposit, its source, and any other property you own

Send us the outline and we come back with a view on fundability and likely terms, then run the case across the panel once you are ready to proceed.

How a broker fee compares with the saving

A broker fee is disclosed up front. Against it sits the value of reaching the whole panel, securing a keener rate or a higher loan to value, and getting the case packaged so it completes.

On a semi-commercial deal, where the right lender can mean a materially lower rate or a smaller deposit, that work usually pays for itself several times over. A half-point lower rate on a 300,000 pound loan, or a higher loan to value that frees tens of thousands of deposit, dwarfs a typical arrangement fee over the life of the loan.

We set out the all-in cost so the comparison is clear, the rate, the lender fee and any broker fee reduced to one figure, weighed against the value of the terms secured.

Finance arranger and introducer

A firm that arranges finance and introduces borrowers to lenders, rather than lending its own money.

Intermediary-only lender

A lender that accepts business through brokers rather than direct from borrowers.