The London Borough of Bexley lies on the south-eastern edge of the capital, part of Outer London, with a population Wikipedia gives as 248,287. Its main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Belvedere, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley, and the borough falls within the Thames Gateway, an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration. Being on the outer fringe of London, it keeps relatively large areas of open space between its town centres.
We are a broker and we never lend. We arrange business mortgages for trading companies that want to buy or refinance the premises they operate from anywhere in the borough, whether that is a riverside unit in Erith or a shop in Bexleyheath. It is finance for a company's own commercial building, not a residential mortgage, and we place each case with the lenders whose criteria fit.
What kinds of business property do Bexley companies buy?
Bexley's settlements fall into two groups. The older ones include Erith, a Thames port in the 17th century and an industrial town by the later 19th century; Bexleyheath, which grew on the London to Dover road; Crayford, mentioned in the Domesday Book; and Foots Cray, an ancient village site. Around them sit suburban infill areas and centres built in the 20th century, along with Thamesmead, the new town on the former Erith Marshes, which extends into the borough.
That mix produces two broad types of owner-occupier. Towards the river, in Erith, Belvedere and Crayford, the demand is for industrial units, workshops, storage and yards. In the suburban centres of Bexleyheath, Sidcup and Welling it is shops, offices above shops, clinics and service premises. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages explains what lenders look for in both.
Builders and specialist trades across Bexley, south-east London
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Bexley share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 2,165 | 22.1% | 12.6% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 1,165 | 11.9% | 14% |
| Retail | 850 | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| Business support services | 815 | 8.3% | 8.1% |
| Information and communication | 675 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 625 | 6.4% | 6.2% |
| Health and social care | 560 | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 510 | 5.2% | 4.2% |
| Personal and other services | 465 | 4.7% | 4.1% |
- 1.9xspecialist building trades1,440 businesses
- 1.6xbuilding construction635 businesses
- 1.4xsecurity services70 businesses
- 1.4xprinting40 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Construction dominates Bexley's 9,820 business units, making up 22.1% of the total against 12.6% nationally. Specialist trades run at 1.9 times the UK share and general builders at 1.61 times. Security firms and printers are also above average. Information and communication businesses reach 6.9%.
Many contractors buy a yard or a unit with outside storage. Lenders look at planning use and the strength of the contract pipeline, since construction income can be uneven from year to year.
How do the A2, A20 and Elizabeth line affect premises finance in Bexley, south-east London?
The principal roads are the A2 trunk road; the A20 Sidcup By-pass, which marks much of the southern boundary; the A207, following the old Roman Watling Street between Crayford and Welling; the A206 from Woolwich towards Dartford; and its newer counterpart, the A2016 through Thamesmead. For distribution and trade businesses, those routes towards Woolwich, Dartford and Kent make the north of the borough practical.
Rail is less extensive. Wikipedia notes that Bexley has no Underground, Tramlink, DLR or Overground service, although since 2022 the Elizabeth line has terminated at Abbey Wood, whose entrance is in Bexley while its platforms sit in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. A lender weighs access like this when it judges how easily a building could be let or sold to another business.
Bexley's industrial units: fewer but valuable
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 warehouse1,440properties on the rating listDown 7.7% since 2016Average rateable value £71,600factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices550properties on the rating listUp 5.8% since 2016Average rateable value £18,900offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail1,840properties on the rating listDown 1.1% since 2016Average rateable value £26,200shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial1,570properties on the rating listUp 9% since 2016Average rateable value £42,100pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Bexley estates from Crayford to Sidcup Logistics Park
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Bexley, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Graves Industrial EstateWelling DA16 3HQ
- Acorn Industrial EstateDartford DA1 4BL
- Crayford Industrial EstateDartford DA1 4HS
- Texcel Business ParkDartford DA1 4TQ
- Klinger Industrial ParkOrpington, Sidcup DA14 5AH
- Sidcup Logistics ParkEdgington Way, Orpington, Sidcup DA14 5BN
- Fitzroy Business ParkOrpington, Sidcup DA14 5NL
- Elmbourne Industrial EstateElbourne Trading Estate, Belvedere DA17 6AW
- Bilton Road Industrial EstateErith DA8 2AN
- Crayfield Business ParkOrpington BR5 3QD
- Capital Industrial EstateBelvedere DA17 6BJ
- East Thamesmead Business ParkErith DA18 4AB
Industrial premises in Bexley fell 7.7% to 1,440, but they carry a high average rateable value of £71,600. Offices rose 5.8%, and shops slipped 1.1%. The other category grew 9%. With industrial land under pressure, a firm buying a unit is likely to compete with investors, and valuations will reflect that. Shops are cheaper, averaging £26,200.
What does a commercial property loan in Bexley Borough cost?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending usually advance 70 to 75% of the purchase price or valuation, whichever is lower, at an indicative 6.0 to 7.5% a year over 5 to 25 years, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Expect arrangement fees of around 1 to 2% of the loan, plus legal and valuation costs.
Bexley is in England, so Stamp Duty Land Tax applies at the non-residential rates of 0% up to £150,000, 2% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 (HMRC, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. A fabrication company buys a freehold industrial unit near the A206 for £450,000. A 75% loan is £337,500, leaving a £112,500 deposit. SDLT on £450,000 is £12,000, so the business needs roughly £124,500 in cash plus fees. The stamp duty on commercial property guide shows the working.
Who handles planning and security on business premises in Bexley, London?
Bexley London Borough Council is the local authority and planning authority. Its records confirm whether a unit's use, for example as a workshop, a warehouse or a vehicle repair business, is lawful, and the lender's solicitor will check that before the loan completes. Land near the river, around the former Erith Marshes and the loop at Crossness, is low-lying, so a valuer or solicitor may ask questions about flood risk.
The lender takes a first legal charge registered at HM Land Registry, and often a debenture or directors' guarantees. 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 London business mortgages page lists the other boroughs.
Business districts across Bexley
Erith
Erith was a port on the Thames in the 17th century and became an industrial town in the later 19th century, where the high ground drops down to the river at Belvedere. Its riverside setting and the A206 suit manufacturers, storage operators and trade businesses, so industrial units and yards are the usual purchases here.
Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath grew up on the London to Dover road and became an Urban District in the earlier 20th century. Today it is a busy suburban shopping centre, and the businesses that buy here tend to be retailers, restaurants, opticians, dentists and professional firms taking shop units or offices above them.
Sidcup and Foots Cray
Sidcup sits on a ridge in the south of the borough beside the A20 Sidcup By-pass, with Foots Cray, an ancient village site, close by. Its high street offers shops and small offices and the by-pass carries traffic along the southern edge of the borough, which suits service businesses and trades that need a local base.
Crayford and Slade Green
Crayford was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and its old parish included North End and Slade Green. The River Cray and River Darent form part of the borough's boundary nearby, and the A207 follows Watling Street through the area. Small industrial estates and trade premises make up much of the commercial stock here.
Welling
Welling lies on the A207, the line of the old Roman Watling Street, near Shooters Hill on the border with Greenwich. Its parade of shops along the main road is the commercial focus, and the owner-occupiers we expect here are local retailers and service firms buying a shop, often with living space above.
Belvedere and Thamesmead
Belvedere marks the point where the ridge of higher ground ends above the Thames, and Thamesmead North and South extend into the borough from the new town built on the Erith Marshes. The A2016 serves the area. Businesses here range from neighbourhood retail to industrial occupiers using the flat land near the river.
