West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county of five boroughs, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, which work together through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. It covers 2,029 km2 and had an estimated population of 2,435,236 in 2024. The centre is heavily urban and the outer areas rural, with the South Pennines and a corner of the Peak District in the west. The county was created in 1974 from part of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
We arrange business mortgages for companies anywhere in the county that want to buy or refinance the premises they trade from. We are a broker, not a lender. This is commercial finance secured on a working business's building, assessed on the company's accounts, and it is not a residential mortgage.
What kind of premises do West Yorkshire businesses buy?
The county's buildings tell its industrial story. Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield grew around woollen mills, Leeds made cloth with heavier engineering in the south of the city, and Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract and South and East Leeds were coal mining areas. The Heavy Woollen District took in Dewsbury, Batley, Morley, Ossett, Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike. The last pit, Hay Royds Colliery at Denby Dale, closed in 2012.
Today the mix is far broader. Leeds has become a recognised financial centre, Wakefield has drawn service industries including call centres, and two of the big four supermarkets are headquartered here: Morrisons in Bradford and Asda in Leeds. Owner-occupiers we hear from include:
- manufacturers and engineers buying modern units or converted mill space;
- professional and financial firms buying offices in Leeds and the town centres;
- retailers and food businesses buying high street and market-town shops;
- logistics and trade firms buying warehouses near the motorways.
For a standard building, an owner-occupier mortgage is priced at an indicative 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
Textiles, furniture and machinery: West Yorkshire's maker heritage
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Covers 5 council areas: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | West Yorkshire share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 11,670 | 12.3% | 14% |
| Construction and building trades | 11,265 | 11.9% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 10,645 | 11.2% | 9.3% |
| Business support services | 7,790 | 8.2% | 8.1% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 6,755 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
| Health and social care | 6,735 | 7.1% | 5.6% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 5,635 | 5.9% | 4.2% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 4,475 | 4.7% | 4.2% |
| Information and communication | 4,450 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
- 2.9xfurniture making560 businesses
- 2.5xtextile manufacturing325 businesses
- 1.8xmachinery manufacturing390 businesses
- 1.6xrubber and plastics270 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
The five districts of West Yorkshire hold 95,040 businesses, and the old manufacturing heartland still shows. There are 560 furniture makers, close to three times the UK share, and 325 textile firms at 2.48 times it, alongside 390 machinery manufacturers. Overall, manufacturing and engineering accounts for 5.9% of firms.
Many of those makers trade from converted mills and Victorian works. Older buildings can be financed, but expect closer scrutiny of roof condition, fire safety and multi-storey access, and a valuation that weighs alternative use. The county also has 16,290 small and medium businesses, a deep pool of potential owner-occupiers.
Converted mills and older stock: premises finance in West Yorkshire, England
Remnants of the coal, wool and iron industries survive in the county's architecture, and many trading companies occupy part of a converted mill or a stone-built works. Lenders fund these buildings regularly, but they look at three things more closely than on a modern unit: how easily the space could be relet or sold to another occupier, the condition of roofs and floors, and whether the title is split across several owners or tenants.
Where you will occupy only part of a mill and let the rest, the lender needs to see that your business uses most of the space, or the case becomes an investment loan rather than an owner-occupier one. Valley-floor sites can also carry flood risk, so check insurance early.
Illustrative example. A textiles firm buys the freehold of a converted mill building for £700,000. At 75% loan to value it borrows £525,000 and puts in £175,000. SDLT at HMRC's non-residential rates (0% to £150,000, 2% to £250,000 and 5% above; gov.uk, rates as at October 2026, check the current rates before you buy) is £2,000 plus £22,500: £24,500. Our guide to commercial stamp duty explains the bands.
Industrial units now lead the county's rating list
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Totals for Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse27,790properties on the rating listUp 17.8% since 2016Average rateable value £28,400factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices18,600properties on the rating listUp 12.3% since 2016Average rateable value £18,600offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail22,840properties on the rating listUp 0.1% since 2016Average rateable value £20,100shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial20,440properties on the rating listUp 8.7% since 2016Average rateable value £28,600pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Owner-occupied estates across the county, from Fairway to Treefield
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near West Yorkshire, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Manor Park Industrial EstateDrighlington, Bradford BD11 1LW
- Fairway Industrial EstateThe Grn, Birstall, Batley WF17 9QA
- QBM Business ParkBirstall, Batley WF17 9QD
- Titan Business Centre920 Bradford Rd, Birstall, Batley WF17 9PH
- E Treefield Industrial EstateGildersome, Morley, Leeds LS27 7JU
- Treefield Industrial EstateGildersome, Morley, Leeds LS27 7LL
- West Yorkshire Industrial EstateBradford BD4 6SX
- Bulrush Business ParkBatley WF17 8HF
- Highcliffe Industrial EstateMorley, Leeds LS27 9LR
- Asquith Avenue Business ParkMorley, Leeds LS27 9QA
- Howley Park Industrial EstateMorley, Leeds LS27 0BN
- Euroway Industrial EstateBradford BD4 6SE
West Yorkshire's rating list has grown 9.6% since 2016, to 89,650 properties. Industrial units drove most of that, up 17.8% to 27,790, while offices rose 12.3% and the number of shops barely moved, up 0.1%. With industrial stock now the largest category, a buyer of a unit anywhere from Wakefield to Bradford can expect the valuer to find plenty of comparable evidence.
Motorways, rail and the airport: siting a commercial property loan in the county
The M1, M62 and A1(M) are the main national routes through the county, joined by the M621 and M606. The regional rail network is centred on Leeds, with intercity services from LNER, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express, Northern running the Airedale, Wharfedale, Calder Valley, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Pontefract lines, and Grand Central linking Bradford and Halifax with London. Leeds Bradford Airport at Yeadon is Yorkshire's largest and served more than 4.24 million passengers in 2024.
For logistics, trade and manufacturing firms, a site near a motorway junction is usually the easiest for a lender to value and for the business to staff. If you already own your premises and the loan is expiring, remortgaging business premises is indicatively 6.0 to 8.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
Planning and security when refinancing premises in the West Yorks boroughs
Planning sits with the five metropolitan borough councils. Check the lawful use before you exchange, especially on mill conversions and on units that have changed hands several times. The lender takes a first legal charge registered at HM Land Registry, and most want a personal guarantee from the directors of a smaller company. The county sits within our Yorkshire and the Humber coverage, with separate pages for its main towns and cities.
Business property finance in Leeds, Bradford and the West Yorkshire towns
Leeds
The county's largest settlement and its financial and commercial centre, with many banks, building societies and insurers holding offices there. Owner-occupiers range from professional firms buying city-centre offices to manufacturers in the south of the city. Office space has spread south of the River Aire, giving buyers a wider choice of modern stock.
Bradford
Once the wool capital of the world and home to Morrisons' head office, Bradford has a diverse base in finance, chemicals, electronics, engineering and manufacturing. Listed Victorian warehouses and mills sit alongside modern units. It was UK City of Culture for 2025, and regeneration in the centre is bringing new commercial space.
Wakefield
A cathedral city in the south-east of the county, close to the junction of the M1 and M62. Distribution, wholesale and retail, and service industries are major employers. Warehouses and trade units with motorway access are the typical purchase, with waterfront regeneration adding offices and hospitality space near the river.
Huddersfield
The largest settlement in Kirklees and still a manufacturing town, with textile, chemical and engineering firms. The University of Huddersfield is the largest employer. Workshops and factory units dominate owner-occupier demand, and North Light Film Studios at Brookes Mill shows how old mill buildings are finding new commercial uses.
Halifax
The administrative centre of Calderdale, built on woollen manufacture around the Piece Hall. The Dean Clough mills now hold offices and other businesses, and confectionery is still made in the town. Owner-occupiers here often buy space in converted industrial buildings, where lenders check the title and service charge carefully.
Dewsbury and Batley
Two of the towns of the Heavy Woollen District, where the woollen and cloth industries declined through the twentieth century. Former mill and warehouse buildings now house manufacturers, wholesalers and trade counters. Older buildings need a careful survey, but they can give a growing business more space for its money than a new unit.
Castleford and Pontefract
Former coal mining towns in the east of the county, near the A1(M) and on the Pontefract line. The Rhubarb Triangle, wholly in West Yorkshire, gained Protected Designation of Origin status in February 2010. Food producers, trade businesses and logistics firms make up much of the owner-occupier demand here.
