Specialist business mortgage broker for trading companies across the County of Somerset

Wikipedia describes a county with few industrial centres but a range of light industry and high-technology businesses, traditional agriculture and growing tourism, which was estimated in 2013 to support around 26,000 people. Agriculture and food and drink employ over 15,000. Somerset remains a major cider producer, with Taunton and Shepton Mallet linked to Blackthorn and specialists such as Thatchers and Burrow Hill, while Gerber in Bridgwater is described as Europe's largest fruit juice producer and dairy firms include Yeo Valley and the Ilchester Cheese Company.

Defence and engineering add another layer: Leonardo builds helicopters in Yeovil, Thales Underwater Systems is at Templecombe, the UK Hydrographic Office is in Taunton and Gooch and Housego makes optics at Ilminster. For owner-occupiers that means food production units, cold stores, farm-based commercial buildings, engineering workshops, hotels and shops. Our business mortgages page explains how lenders assess trading companies.

The M5 runs through the county, with the A303, A37, A38, A39, A358 and A361 giving access across it, although many rural areas are reached only by narrow lanes. Rail runs on the West of England Main Line through Yeovil Junction, the Bristol to Exeter line, the Heart of Wessex line and the Reading to Taunton line. Bristol Airport sits in North Somerset.

Bridgwater shows what those links do. Once the area's main port on the River Parrett, it has grown into a distribution hub for companies including Argos, Toolstation and Morrisons. Warehouses and industrial units close to the M5 are usually the easiest buildings to finance because demand is clear. Rural premises on the Levels or Exmoor can be funded too, but a valuer will look harder at access, flood risk and alternative uses.

Lenders active in owner-occupier lending generally advance 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, up to 80% for strong cases. Indicative pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, with terms of 5 to 25 years and arrangement fees usually 1 to 2%, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Hotels, pubs and similar trading businesses are priced higher, at an indicative 7.0 to 9.0%.

Somerset is in England, so Stamp Duty Land Tax applies. HMRC charges 0% on non-residential property up to £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).

Illustrative example. A cider maker buys a freehold production building for £1,000,000. A 75% loan is £750,000, leaving a £250,000 deposit. SDLT is £39,500, so the business needs about £289,500 before legal and valuation fees. Our commercial stamp duty guide sets out the arithmetic.

For local government the county has three unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset, which belongs to the West of England Combined Authority, North Somerset, and Somerset. Planning history is held by whichever covers the building, and the lender's solicitor checks that the current use is lawful before funds are released.

The lender registers a first legal charge at HM Land Registry, typically alongside a debenture or director 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. The wider region is covered on our South West business mortgages page.