Rutland is the smallest historic county in England and a rural one: its only towns are Oakham in the west and Uppingham in the south, with villages such as Cottesmore and Ketton between them. Of its 17,000 people of working age, 30.8% work in public administration, education and health, 29.7% in distribution, hotels and restaurants, and 16.7% in manufacturing. Lands' End in Oakham and the Ketton Cement Works are significant employers, alongside two Ministry of Defence bases, Oakham and Uppingham schools and HM Prison Stocken.
That profile shapes who buys premises here: hospitality and visitor businesses around Rutland Water, independent retailers in the two towns, and small manufacturers and service firms on employment sites. Business Mortgages Broker arranges commercial mortgages for trading companies anywhere in Rutland. We are a broker, not a lender, and the loan is secured on the building your company trades from. It is not a residential mortgage.
Owner-occupier mortgages for hospitality and visitor businesses around Rutland Water
Rutland Water, formerly Empingham Reservoir, fills the centre of the county. When construction began in 1971 it became the largest man-made lake in Europe, and it has been voted the county's favourite tourist attraction. Tourism continues to grow, and with nearly three in ten working residents in distribution, hotels and restaurants, pubs, inns, cafés and guest accommodation are a large part of the local property market.
Lenders treat these as trading businesses, valuing the building partly on its trade. Indicative pricing for pubs, hotels and similar premises is 7.0 to 9.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, and lenders will want to see several years of trading figures. Where an owner or close family member lives on site, the loan may be regulated. 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. Our semi-commercial premises page explains how mixed buildings are financed.
Consultants, farms and country inns in England's smallest county
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Rutland share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 350 | 16% | 13.9% |
| Construction and building trades | 225 | 10.3% | 12.6% |
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 205 | 9.4% | 4.5% |
| Retail | 200 | 9.1% | 9.3% |
| Business support services | 175 | 8% | 8.2% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 160 | 7.3% | 6.2% |
| Property | 110 | 5% | 4.4% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 105 | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Information and communication | 90 | 4.1% | 6.1% |
- 2.4xpublic administration40 businesses
- 2.2xfarming200 businesses
- 1.4xmanagement consultancy155 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Rutland has just 2,190 business units, and 86% of them are micro firms. Farming, forestry and fishing makes up 9.4% of the count, more than twice the UK share of 4.5%, and professional, scientific and technical firms reach 16%, ahead of the national 13.9%. Head offices and management consultancies run at 1.38 times the UK rate, many of them run from home or a converted farm building.
Restaurants, cafes and pubs make up 7.3% of firms. A freehold inn or a farm shop with a cafe is judged on its trade as well as its bricks, and a lender will want two or three years of accounts.
Business property finance in Oakham, Uppingham and the County of Rutland
Older buildings in the county are built from local limestone or ironstone, and many have roofs of Collyweston stone slate or thatch. That is part of the appeal of a shop or office in Oakham or Uppingham, but it also brings listed-building and conservation considerations. Valuers look at repair costs and any limits on alteration, and the legal work can take longer than for a modern unit.
Rutland is a unitary authority, so Rutland County Council handles planning for the whole county. It also bought the former HM Prison Ashwell after it closed in 2011 and turned it into Oakham Enterprise Park, one of the main places small firms find workshop and office space. The county ranks 348th of 354 on the Indices of Deprivation for England, among the least deprived areas in the country. Our business mortgages page explains what lenders look for.
Rutland's rating list: more units, more offices, same shops
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse530properties on the rating listUp 43.2% since 2016Average rateable value £20,000factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices320properties on the rating listUp 28% since 2016Average rateable value £6,800offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail300properties on the rating listUnchanged since 2016Average rateable value £17,700shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial600properties on the rating listUp 15.4% since 2016Average rateable value £26,400pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Industrial premises in Rutland rose from 370 to 530 entries, up 43.2%, and offices by 28%. Shops held at exactly 300. Values are modest: offices average a rateable value of just £6,800 and industrial units £20,000. That is a market of small units and converted rural buildings, where a valuer may need to look beyond the county for enough comparables to support a price.
Commercial property loan costs and stamp duty in Rutland, East Midlands
Indicative owner-occupier pricing for shops, offices and workshops is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, at 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation and up to 80% for strong cases. Terms are 5 to 25 years and arrangement fees typically 1 to 2%. The lender takes a first legal charge registered at HM Land Registry.
Stamp Duty Land Tax applies at HMRC's non-residential rates: 0% to £150,000, 2% on the next £100,000 and 5% above £250,000, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy. Illustrative example. An Uppingham retailer buys a freehold shop for £250,000. A 75% loan is £187,500 and the deposit £62,500. SDLT is 2% on £100,000, so £2,000. Our commercial stamp duty guide covers leases and mixed-use buildings.
Transport and location for premises across Rutland, UK
Rutland was the last county in England, apart from the Isle of Wight and some unitary areas, without a direct rail service to London, until a single service from Oakham to London St Pancras via Corby began in April 2009. A short stretch of the East Coast Main Line crosses the north-east corner near Essendine. Through the Rutland Electric Car Project it became the first county to offer a county-wide public electric vehicle charging network. For businesses that need wide road and rail reach, buyers often compare Rutland sites with those in neighbouring counties; see our East Midlands commercial mortgages overview.
Towns and villages we cover in Rutland
Oakham
The larger of Rutland's two towns, in the west of the county, with a railway station, Oakham School, Lands' End and the Grainstore Brewery, which launched a Rutland Bitter in 2010. Retailers, professional firms and hospitality businesses buy period town-centre buildings here, often of local stone.
Uppingham
Rutland's other town, in the south, home to Uppingham School. Its high street of independent shops, cafés and professional practices is the main source of owner-occupier demand, usually for older listed or conservation-area buildings.
Oakham Enterprise Park
Created by Rutland County Council from the former HM Prison Ashwell after it closed in 2011. It offers workshop and office space for small manufacturers, trades and service firms, and is often the first place a growing Rutland company looks for premises of its own.
Ketton
A village in the east, home to the Ketton Cement Works and its limestone quarry, one of the county's major employers. Contractors, hauliers and suppliers linked to the works look for yards and industrial buildings nearby.
Cottesmore
A northern village beside Kendrew Barracks, formerly RAF Cottesmore. Local shops, pubs and service businesses serving the barracks and the surrounding farms are the typical buyers of premises here.
Langham
Once home to the Ruddles Brewery, its biggest industry until it closed in 1997. Today the village's commercial property is mostly small-scale, suited to rural businesses, food and drink producers and hospitality operators.
