Specialist commercial mortgage broker for trading businesses across Derbyshire

The county splits roughly in two. The eastern half is the more densely populated, holding Chesterfield in the north-east, Derby in the south-east and Swadlincote in the south. Much of that side has a coal-mining past, in Bolsover district, the Erewash Valley around Ilkeston and the country around Swadlincote. The west is rural: arable land south of Derby, then upland pasture and moorland on the gritstone of the southern Pennines.

Minerals still matter. Limestone outcrops in the centre of the county supported large quarries for lime, building stone and, in the 20th century, cement, and a lot of crushed stone still leaves by rail for road building and concrete. Food is another thread: Thorntons is just south of Alfreton, Buxton Water is bottled in Buxton, and Derbyshire is one of only three counties allowed to make Stilton, with Hartington Creamery at Pikehall the smallest of the six producers.

For a buyer, what matters is general-purpose versus specialist. A standard industrial unit or shop has plenty of comparables; a creamery or quarry workshop is valued on what else it could be used for, which can pull the loan to value down. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages explains how lenders treat each.

A commercial mortgage is a long-term loan secured on the premises a trading company occupies. In England the lender takes a first legal charge over the freehold or long lease, registered at HM Land Registry, and normally asks the directors for a personal guarantee as well.

Indicative owner-occupier pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, with loans typically at 70 to 75% of the price or valuation, whichever is lower, and up to 80% for a strong case. Terms run 5 to 25 years and arrangement fees are typically 1 to 2%.

Purchases in Derbyshire pay Stamp Duty Land Tax at the non-residential rates set by HMRC (gov.uk): 0% on the first £150,000, 2% on the slice from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy. Our guide to stamp duty on commercial property covers leases, VAT and mixed-use buildings.

Illustrative example. A Derbyshire engineering firm buys a freehold workshop for £450,000. At 75% the loan is £337,500 and the deposit £112,500. SDLT is £2,000 on the middle slice plus £10,000 on the top slice, so £12,000, which must be paid in cash alongside the deposit and fees.

The uplands of the north and centre hold most of the Peak District National Park, including Kinder Scout, at 636 m the highest point in the county. Buyers here are mostly in tourism, hospitality and small-scale food, often in older stone buildings. Inside the park, planning decisions sit with the national park authority rather than the district council, and valuers factor in any limits on use.

Many rural buildings combine a trading space with a flat, a cottage or rooms above. Those are treated as semi-commercial: see semi-commercial premises. 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.

Companies that already own their building come to us to change lender, release capital for machinery, or replace bridging with a long-term loan after a refurbishment. Indicative commercial remortgage pricing is 6.0 to 8.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation.

Part of the Derwent Valley has World Heritage status for the water-powered mills that followed Richard Arkwright, and the county has been called the home of the Industrial Revolution. Converted mill space houses offices, studios and makers today. Heritage protection does not stop a lender, but it means a specialist valuation and a longer legal timetable. For the wider picture across the region, see our East Midlands business mortgages page.