We are Business Mortgages Broker, and we arrange business mortgages for trading companies that want to buy or refinance the premises they work from anywhere in South Yorkshire, from the valleys of Sheffield to the arable land and flat Humberhead Levels east of Doncaster. A business mortgage is a long-term loan secured on the building a trading company occupies. It is commercial finance for your premises, not a residential mortgage, and we arrange it with a lender whose criteria fit rather than lending ourselves.
The county is largely urban, covering 1,552 km2 with an estimated population of 1,430,623 in 2024. It is made up of four metropolitan boroughs, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, which collaborate through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Planning sits with each borough, so the council that matters for your purchase is the one where the building stands. Our founder, Matt Lenzie, has 25 years in financial services, raising debt and equity, with around £400m arranged.
Premises finance in the South Riding of Yorkshire: what local firms buy
South Yorkshire grew on coal and steel. The South Yorkshire coalfield underlies Barnsley, Doncaster and part of Sheffield, and the landscape still shows it: mine buildings, former spoil heaps, iron and steel plants, and ribbon development strung along the canals, roads and railways. Much of the stock a trading company buys here reflects that history: engineering workshops, light industrial units on reclaimed land, yards, trade counters and older brick-built works in the river valleys of the Don, Dearne and Rother.
The economy has been changing. The county was one of the least prosperous areas in Western Europe and was targeted for European Regional Development Fund money, but it has seen recent growth in the services sector, and in the FDI European Cities and Regions of the Future 2022/23 Awards Doncaster was ranked the best small city in Europe for investment. That shift brings demand for offices, clinics, showrooms and service premises alongside the traditional industrial units.
For a buyer, the industrial past matters at valuation. A lender will usually want a mining search and often an environmental report on land near former workings or heavy industry, and a clean report makes the case easier to place. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages explains how lenders assess a company buying the building it trades from.
Steel and sheds: the South Yorkshire business mix today
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Covers 4 council areas: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | South Yorkshire share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 6,765 | 13.5% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 5,455 | 10.9% | 9.4% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 5,245 | 10.5% | 14% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 3,810 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 3,700 | 7.4% | 4.2% |
| Business support services | 3,600 | 7.2% | 8.2% |
| Health and social care | 3,030 | 6% | 5.6% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 2,815 | 5.6% | 4.3% |
| Information and communication | 2,165 | 4.3% | 6.1% |
- 3.3xsteel and basic metals100 businesses
- 2.3xremediation and waste services45 businesses
- 2.2xpostal and courier services1,295 businesses
- 1.9xfabricated metal products660 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield between them hold 50,185 businesses. Steel still marks the area out, with basic metals producers at 3.3 times the UK share and 660 fabricated metal firms. But logistics now rivals it: transport and storage accounts for 7.4% of businesses against 4.2% nationally, including 1,900 road haulage operators and 1,295 courier firms.
The four boroughs have 8,755 small and medium businesses, a good base of established companies large enough to buy their own premises. For a metal fabricator, a lender will look at plant, power supply and any contamination history as part of the valuation.
Owner-occupier mortgages in South Yorkshire, England: terms and tax
Indicative terms for an owner-occupier are 6.0 to 7.5% a year, typically at 70 to 75% loan to value and up to 80% for strong cases, over 5 to 25 years; all indicative, subject to status, accounts and valuation. The lender takes a first legal charge over the property, registered at HM Land Registry.
Stamp Duty Land Tax applies to purchases in England. On non-residential property HMRC charges 0% up to £150,000, 2% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 (HMRC, gov.uk; 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 fabrication company buys a freehold workshop for £600,000. A 75% loan is £450,000, leaving a £150,000 deposit. SDLT on that price works out at £19,500 (£2,000 on the second slice plus £17,500 on the £350,000 above £250,000), and that comes from the company's own cash along with legal and valuation fees.
A quarter more industrial units: South Yorkshire since 2016
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Totals for Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse15,580properties on the rating listUp 25.7% since 2016Average rateable value £28,800factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices7,610properties on the rating listUp 16.2% since 2016Average rateable value £16,800offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail12,370properties on the rating listUp 1.3% since 2016Average rateable value £23,200shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial10,250properties on the rating listUp 0.3% since 2016Average rateable value £33,800pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Dearne Valley estates where firms own, from Manvers to Goldthorpe
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near South Yorkshire, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Farfield Park Manvers Industrial EstateRotherham S63 5DB
- Callflex Business ParkRotherham S63 5NA
- Patrick Tobin Business ParkWath upon Dearne, Rotherham S63 7LL
- Century Business CentreWath upon Dearne, Manvers S63 5DA
- Derwent Way Industrial EstateWath upon Dearne, Rotherham S63 6EX
- Wath West Industrial EstateWath upon Dearne, Rotherham S63 6EX
- Swinton Meadows Industrial EstateSwinton, Mexborough S64 8AB
- Goldthorpe Industrial EstateGoldthorpe, Bolton upon Dearne, Rotherham S63 9BL
- Everill Gate Business ParkBarnsley S73 0FJ
- Denaby Industrial EstateOld Denaby, Doncaster DN12 4JJ
- Thurnscoe Business CentrePrincess Dr, Thurnscoe, Rotherham S63 0BL
- Thurnscoe Business ParkThurnscoe, Rotherham
South Yorkshire has added industrial space faster than any other category: units are up 25.7% since 2016, from 12,390 to 15,580. 'Other' property is flat, up 0.3%, and offices are up 16.2%. For buyers, new industrial supply means modern units with good eaves heights are easier to find, and the valuer has recent lettings and sales to compare against.
Commercial property loans from the Peak District fringe to the Humberhead Levels
The county changes sharply from west to east. The western edge sits inside the Peak District National Park, moorland and gritstone edges where premises are few and planning is tight. Between Rotherham and Doncaster the land becomes rolling farmland over limestone, and beyond that the flat Humberhead Levels.
That spread affects how a lender reads a building. A unit on an established urban estate with plenty of comparable sales is simpler to value than an isolated rural building with a specialist use, and the second may need a larger deposit. We match each building to lenders active in owner-occupier lending whose appetite fits its location and use.
Refinancing business property in South Yorkshire County
Many companies here already own their premises and want to move an expiring loan, release capital for plant or stock, or take a building off a short-term bridge. A commercial remortgage is indicatively 6.0 to 8.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Our page on remortgaging business premises sets out what lenders ask for. 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.
We cover the whole of the Yorkshire and the Humber region, so a company with a site on each side of a county border can be handled as one case.
Towns and areas across South Yorkshire we cover
Sheffield
The largest settlement in the county and the home of its steel and cutlery trades. Today buyers range from engineering firms in the Don valley to professional practices wanting city-centre offices. See our page on business mortgages in Sheffield for the detail on its districts and transport links.
Doncaster
In the east of the county on the River Don, Doncaster is a railway and distribution centre with warehouses and logistics sites serving national retailers. It suits companies buying larger sheds and trade units with road and rail access, as well as shops and offices in the town centre around the Frenchgate Centre.
Rotherham
Immediately north-east of Sheffield, Rotherham grew on coal and steel at the meeting of the Rother and the Don. Its commercial centre sits in the valley on the navigable Don, and much of the wider borough is rural and green belt, so established industrial sites and town-centre shops make up much of what changes hands.
Barnsley
In the north of the county on the M1 corridor, Barnsley has industrial parks built on reclaimed coal mine sites and business parks at junctions 36 and 37. Manufacturers, food producers and distribution firms buy units here, while the regenerated town centre draws retailers, hospitality and service businesses.
The rural east and the Humberhead Levels
Beyond the urban Don valley the east of the county opens into arable farmland and the flat Humberhead Levels. Premises here tend to be agricultural buildings, rural workshops and village commercial property. Lenders treat isolated or specialist buildings more cautiously, so the deposit and the evidence of trading history carry more weight.
