Business Mortgages Broker arranges business mortgages for limited companies buying or refinancing their own premises anywhere in the East Midlands. A business mortgage is a long-term loan secured on the premises a trading company occupies: the workshop, warehouse, office, shop or surgery the business runs from. It is not a residential mortgage, and we are a broker, not a lender. We assemble the case and put it to the lenders whose criteria fit.
The region had a population of 5,085,641 in 2025 and a stronger manufacturing base than almost anywhere else in the UK, which shapes the kind of premises owners want to buy. Matt Lenzie, who has 25 years in financial services, raising debt and equity, runs the business, and we act for companies across all six counties.
How manufacturing shapes property in the East Midlands region
In 2023, 14.8% of the region's economic output came from manufacturing, against a UK average of 9.1%, the second highest share of any UK region after Wales. Two names anchor it. Rolls-Royce in Derby and Toyota Manufacturing UK at Burnaston are major engineering employers, and each supports tiers of suppliers in machining, fabrication, coatings, tooling and inspection, most of which work from industrial units on estates across Derbyshire and beyond.
Further south, Wikipedia's article on the region states that 80% of the world's Formula One cars are made in Northamptonshire, in the cluster known as Motorsport Valley around Silverstone. Motorsport engineering firms tend to need high-specification workshops close to the circuit and to each other. Then there is freight: East Midlands Airport is the UK's second largest freight airport, with DHL and UPS UK operations, and the land around it and the M1 is a centre for warehousing and distribution.
Which business premises do companies buy across the East Midlands (UK)?
Owner-occupiers here usually fall into one of these groups.
- Industrial and engineering units: aerospace, automotive and motorsport suppliers around Derby, Burnaston and Northamptonshire, often with specialist fit-out.
- Warehouses and trade counters: distribution and wholesale businesses near the M1, the A1 and East Midlands Airport, and merchants serving rural Lincolnshire.
- Offices: professional, financial and technology firms in central Nottingham, Leicester and Derby.
- Retail and hospitality: city and market town shops, restaurants and pubs, many in older buildings with space above.
- Healthcare and practices: dental, veterinary, pharmacy and other professional premises across the region.
Specialist fit-out raises a point lenders care about: the valuer values the building, not your machinery or clean rooms, so the loan is based on what the property would be worth to another occupier. Indicative owner-occupier mortgage pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, typically at 70 to 75% loan to value, over 5 to 25 years, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
Buying quickly: bridging finance in the East Midlands, England
Industrial units near the motorway network can sell quickly, and a supplier winning a new contract may need space before a term lender can complete. In those cases bridging finance for business premises can fund the purchase, with an exit onto a business mortgage once the accounts or the building are ready. Indicative bridging pricing is 0.70 to 0.95% a month, typically up to 70 to 75% gross loan to value, subject to status, accounts and valuation. It is short-term money, so we only suggest it when the exit is clear.
Commercial lending to a limited company is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter. Where a deal would be regulated, for example lending to a sole trader or individual, or a property where the borrower or a close family member will live in part of it, we refer it to an appropriately authorised firm.
SDLT and legal charges on East Midlands premises
All six counties are in England, so Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is due to HMRC on a purchase. Non-residential and mixed-use bands are 0% up to £150,000, 2% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 (HMRC, gov.uk; rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy). The tax is paid in cash at completion; our stamp duty guide for commercial property has the arithmetic.
Security is a mortgage by legal charge under English law, registered with HM Land Registry alongside the transfer. If you are comparing sites on both sides of the Midlands, our West Midlands page covers the neighbouring region, and Yorkshire and the Humber takes in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.
Where we arrange premises finance in the East Midlands, UK
Nottingham
The Nottingham Urban Area had 729,977 people, and the city is the only settlement in the region ranked by GaWC as a world city. Its centre holds professional, financial and creative offices and a large retail and hospitality economy, while former lace and textile buildings and modern estates house manufacturers, trade counters and distribution firms.
Leicester
The Leicester Urban Area has about 650,000 people. The city's textile and clothing heritage survives in manufacturing and wholesale premises, many in older multi-storey buildings, and it has a base of food, packaging and distribution businesses. Its centre adds retail, hospitality and professional practices, many in Victorian commercial buildings.
Derby
The Derby Urban Area had 270,468 people. Rolls-Royce builds aero engines at Sinfin, and Toyota's plant at nearby Burnaston adds an automotive supply chain, so precision engineering, machining and inspection firms are common among the industrial occupiers. Rail engineering is also part of the city's industrial base.
Lincoln
The Lincoln Urban Area has about 115,000 people, and Siemens builds industrial gas turbines in the city. That engineering base sits alongside the commercial centre for a large farming county, so agricultural suppliers, food processors, trade counters and motor trade premises are common, with tourism-led retail and hospitality near Lincoln Cathedral.
Northampton
Named among the region's largest towns, Northampton sits at the north of Motorsport Valley, where Cosworth and MAHLE Powertrain are based. Engineering and motorsport suppliers need specialist workshops here, and the town's position on the M1 has made it a major location for warehouses and distribution, alongside its traditional footwear trade.
Mansfield
The Mansfield Urban Area had 158,114 people. A former coalfield town in Nottinghamshire, Mansfield now has industrial estates holding light manufacturing, engineering and distribution businesses, with retail and services in the town centre. Former colliery land nearby has been redeveloped as business parks and industrial estates.
Chesterfield
One of the region's largest towns, in north Derbyshire close to the M1 and the edge of the Peak District. Engineering and manufacturing firms occupy estates around the town, and its market town centre supports independent retail, hospitality and professional practices. Some businesses here serve both the East Midlands and the Sheffield city region.
Loughborough
One of the region's largest towns, in Leicestershire between Leicester and Nottingham. Loughborough University's engineering and sports science strengths support a science and enterprise park with technology and research firms, while older industrial areas hold engineering and manufacturing businesses, many of them long established.
Area facts: Wikipedia (East Midlands, Stamp duty in the United Kingdom#Stamp duty land tax, HM Land Registry). Tax figures: HMRC, Revenue Scotland and the Welsh Revenue Authority, as at October 2026.
