The London Borough of Harrow is an Outer London borough in west and north-west London, formed in 1965 on boundaries first set in 1934. It is made up of three towns, Harrow, Pinner and Stanmore, and also includes western parts of Edgware and Sudbury. It borders Barnet to the east of the old Watling Street, now the A5, Brent to the south-east, Ealing to the south and Hillingdon to the west, with the Hertfordshire districts of Three Rivers and Hertsmere to the north. Most of the borough falls in the HA postcode area.
We are a broker and never the lender. In Harrow, Pinner and Stanmore we arrange business mortgages for limited companies buying or refinancing the premises they trade from. The loan is secured on a commercial building, which keeps it outside residential mortgage territory. Our process is to look over the accounts and the property, then approach the lenders whose criteria suit a north-west London business.
Which Harrow businesses buy premises with an owner-occupier mortgage?
Wikipedia lists Kodak, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Ladbrokes, which formally has its headquarters in Harrow, among the borough's major employers. Below that level, the economy is made up of the businesses that serve a large suburban population: retailers, restaurants and cafes, estate agents, accountants and solicitors, dental and medical practices, pharmacies, nurseries and trades.
Those firms usually buy a shop with accommodation above, a converted house used as offices or a clinic, or a small workshop or trade unit. Healthcare and professional practices are well understood by lenders because fee income tends to be steady, and our page on practice and franchise mortgages explains how lenders treat them. For other trading companies, our owner-occupier mortgages page covers the basics.
Harrow's lawyers, accountants and coders, and the builders beside them
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Harrow share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 2,735 | 16.6% | 13.9% |
| Construction and building trades | 2,550 | 15.5% | 12.5% |
| Information and communication | 1,620 | 9.8% | 6.1% |
| Retail | 1,540 | 9.4% | 9.4% |
| Property | 1,250 | 7.6% | 4.4% |
| Business support services | 1,230 | 7.5% | 8.2% |
| Health and social care | 1,035 | 6.3% | 5.6% |
| Wholesale | 770 | 4.7% | 3.7% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 750 | 4.6% | 6.3% |
- 2.1xlegal and accounting890 businesses
- 2.0xsoftware and IT services1,295 businesses
- 1.8xbuilding construction1,190 businesses
- 1.7xproperty and real estate1,250 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Harrow is a borough of small practices. Of its 16,455 business units, 92% are micro firms, and the most distinctive trades are desk-based: legal and accounting activities run at 2.15 times the UK share, and computer programming and consultancy at roughly double it. Property businesses make up 7.6% of local firms against 4.4% nationally.
For a solicitor or accountancy partnership buying its own office, the case rests on steady fee income and a clean set of accounts rather than the building alone. Construction firms, at 15.5% of the local base, tend to want something different: a yard or a unit with secure storage for plant and materials.
How does Metro-land transport shape commercial property loans in Harrow, Middlesex?
Harrow was historically at the heart of Metro-land, and Wikipedia notes it is very well served by the Underground compared with other Outer London boroughs. Four lines serve the area: the Bakerloo terminates at Harrow & Wealdstone and the Jubilee at Stanmore, while the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines share track along the southern edge before running on to Uxbridge. The London Overground continues from Harrow & Wealdstone to Watford Junction, and stations run from Canons Park and Hatch End to Rayners Lane and Sudbury Hill.
Those suburban station centres, at Harrow-on-the-Hill, North Harrow, South Harrow, Pinner and Stanmore, are where most of the borough's commercial property sits. A building on a busy parade close to a station is usually easier for a lender to value and, if needed, to sell, which supports the loan amount.
Harrow, Middlesex on the rating list: shops steady, workshops thinning
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 warehouse610properties on the rating listDown 3.2% since 2016Average rateable value £31,500factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices1,610properties on the rating listUp 1.9% since 2016Average rateable value £13,400offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail2,050properties on the rating listUp 2% since 2016Average rateable value £28,000shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial1,310properties on the rating listUp 15.9% since 2016Average rateable value £35,300pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Industrial estates within reach of Harrow, from East Lane to Christchurch
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Harrow, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- East Lane Business ParkEast Ln, Wembley HA9 7NA
- Christchurch Industrial EstateHarrow HA3 5BA
- Fairway Industrial EstateGreenford UB6 8PW
- Kelvin Industrial EstateGreenford UB6 8GB
- West London Business Park426 Long Dr, Greenford UB6 8UH
- Greenford Industrial EstateNortholt UB5 6AG
- Waverley Industrial Park Waverley Industrial EstateHailsham Dr, Harrow HA1 4TR
- Perivale Business ParkPerivale, Greenford UB6 7RL
- Barratt Way Industrial EstateHarrow HA3 5TJ
- Eastman Edge Industrial EstateHarrow HA1 4WL
- Fleetway Business ParkPerivale, Greenford UB6 7LD
- Towers Business ParkWembley HA9 0LQ
Industrial stock in Harrow has shrunk, down 3.2% to 610 units since 2016, so a firm hunting for a workshop has fewer to choose from than a decade ago. Offices are small here: the average rateable value is £13,400, which points to suites above shops and converted houses rather than large floorplates. The fastest growth is in the 'other' category, up 15.9%, which covers uses such as clinics, nurseries and gyms.
What does buying business property in Harrow, London cost up front?
Owner-occupier lenders typically advance 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, at an indicative 6.0 to 7.5% a year over terms of 5 to 25 years, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Arrangement fees are generally 1 to 2%. Harrow is in England, so non-residential SDLT is payable at 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 pharmacy company buys a freehold shop with a flat above on a Harrow parade for £550,000, with no one living in the flat. A 75% loan is £412,500, so the deposit is £137,500. SDLT is £17,000, so the company needs around £154,500 in cash before legal and valuation fees. The commercial stamp duty guide explains the bands.
Who handles planning for premises finance in the Borough of Harrow?
The local authority is Harrow London Borough Council. Converted houses used as surgeries, offices or nurseries are common in a suburban borough, and the lender's solicitor will confirm that the use has planning consent before releasing funds. Shops with flats above are semi-commercial and usually funded up to 75% loan to value.
Whether the property is in Wealdstone or Pinner, the lender registers a first legal charge at HM Land Registry and may also ask directors to give 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 covers the wider capital.
Business districts across Harrow
Harrow town centre and Harrow-on-the-Hill
Harrow is the town that gives the borough its name, with Harrow-on-the-Hill station on the Metropolitan line at its centre. Its shopping streets and office buildings attract retailers, restaurants and professional firms, and Ladbrokes formally has its headquarters in Harrow. Shop units and office floors are the usual purchases.
Wealdstone
Wealdstone is served by Harrow & Wealdstone station, where the Bakerloo line terminates and the London Overground runs on to Watford Junction. Its high street and surrounding streets mix shops with workshops and small industrial premises, suiting trades and service businesses that want to own their base.
Pinner
Pinner is one of the borough's three towns, with its own Metropolitan line station and Hatch End nearby. Its centre has independent shops, restaurants and professional offices, many in older buildings, and owner-occupiers here are typically small retailers and practices buying the premises they already occupy.
Stanmore
Stanmore, the third of Harrow's towns, sits at the northern end of the Jubilee line, with Canons Park station nearby. Its local parades offer shops, offices and clinics for firms buying their own space, while the Jubilee line terminus gives staff a direct route into central London.
South Harrow and Rayners Lane
South Harrow and Rayners Lane lie on the southern edge of the borough, where the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines share track. Their Metro-land era parades are lined with shops, restaurants and services, usually with flats above, which lenders treat as semi-commercial property.
North Harrow and Headstone Lane
North Harrow, on the Metropolitan line, and Headstone Lane, on the Overground, are suburban centres serving surrounding homes. Their commercial premises are mostly small shops and offices, bought by pharmacies, cafes, estate agents and service firms close to their local customers.
