Antrim, from the Irish Aontroim meaning "lone ridge", is a historic market town, civil parish and the county town of County Antrim. It lies on the banks of the Six Mile Water at the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, roughly 14 miles north-west of Belfast, and counted 25,606 residents in the 2021 census. Until the 2015 merger that created Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, it was the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council.
We are brokers, not lenders. We arrange commercial mortgages for limited companies in and around Antrim that want to buy the premises they trade from, or refinance a building they already own. It is finance for a trading business's workplace, separate from any residential mortgage, and we put the case to the lenders whose criteria match the company and the property.
Which buildings do Antrim Town businesses finance with a business property loan?
As a market town and county town, Antrim supports the mix you would expect: retailers and food businesses in the centre, solicitors, accountants and other professional offices, health and dental practices, and trade and industrial units on the edges of town. Its position between Lough Neagh and the region's main airport also makes it a sensible base for businesses that move goods or people, such as logistics, vehicle and travel-related firms.
A company buying its own building normally uses an owner-occupier mortgage. Lenders look first at whether the trading profit comfortably covers repayments, then at the property. Practices such as dentists, vets and pharmacies may suit the approach on our professional practice mortgages page.
Engineers and repairers: the trades that fill Antrim's estates
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Antrim and Newtownabbey local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Antrim share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 745 | 13.6% | 4.4% |
| Construction and building trades | 600 | 11% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 525 | 9.6% | 9.3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 400 | 7.3% | 13.8% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 325 | 5.9% | 4.2% |
| Health and social care | 325 | 5.9% | 5.6% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 320 | 5.9% | 4.2% |
| Business support services | 275 | 5% | 8.1% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 270 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
- 3.2xfarming735 businesses
- 2.4xmembership organisations110 businesses
- 2.0xmachinery repair and installation55 businesses
- 1.7xwarehousing and logistics75 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Across the borough, 5,460 businesses are registered, and 80% are micro firms with fewer than ten staff. Manufacturing and engineering makes up 5.9% of the total against 4.2% for the UK, and machinery repair and installation firms run at almost twice the national share, a reflection of the agricultural and industrial plant serviced from the town's estates.
There are 860 small and 195 medium-sized businesses, the firms most likely to step up from a rented unit to their own. When they do, a lender will want two or three years of accounts and a valuation that compares the unit with others on the same estate.
Why do the airport and the railway matter for owner-occupier finance in Antrim, Northern Ireland?
Belfast International Airport, once known as Aldergrove Airport, lies five miles south of the town. It is Northern Ireland's largest airport, serving Britain, Europe and North America, although it has no rail connection. Antrim railway station opened on 11 April 1848 and still has passenger trains on the Belfast to Derry line, run by Northern Ireland Railways, though it closed to goods traffic in 1965.
Those connections widen the market for commercial buildings in the area. When a lender's valuer considers a unit, one question is how quickly it could be relet or sold. Premises with easy road access towards the airport and Belfast tend to answer that question well, which can support the loan to value offered.
Rathenraw, Steeple Road and Springfarm: Antrim's working estates
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Antrim, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Steeple Road Industrial EstateAntrim BT41 1AB
- Rawthenraw Industrial EstateAntrim BT41 1LA
- Technology ParkAntrim BT41 4PD
- Western House Rathenraw Industrial EstateAntrim BT41 2SJ
- Springfarm Industrial EstateAntrim BT41 4JR
- Rathenraw Industrial EstateAntrim BT41 2SJ
- Rathinraw Industrial EstateAntrim BT41 1JZ
- Antrim Business ParkAntrim BT41 4LD
- Enkalon Business ParkAntrim BT41 4LS
- Enkalon Industrial EstateAntrim BT41 4LJ
- Ennkalon Industrial Estate25 Randalstown Rd, Antrim BT41 4LJ
- Kilbegs Business ParkKilbegs Rd, Antrim BT41 4LY
What are the up-front costs of premises finance in the Antrim area?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending usually advance 70 to 75% of the purchase price or valuation, whichever is lower, rising to 80% for strong cases, at indicative rates of 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Terms run 5 to 25 years and arrangement fees are typically 1 to 2%.
Stamp Duty Land Tax applies in Northern Ireland. For non-residential property HMRC charges 0% up to £150,000, 2% 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 vehicle repair business buys a freehold workshop on the edge of Antrim for £280,000. A 75% loan is £210,000 and the deposit £70,000. SDLT is £3,500, so the company needs about £73,500 in cash before fees. A Northern Ireland solicitor registers the charge through Land and Property Services. For the wider borough, see our Antrim and Newtownabbey business mortgages page, and our commercial stamp duty guide for the bands in full.
Where Antrim companies buy their premises
Town centre and the Six Mile Water
The historic market town grew along the Six Mile Water. Its centre holds the shops, cafés, offices and service businesses that most often buy a single unit, sometimes with rooms above that turn the deal into semi-commercial lending.
Aldergrove and the airport approaches
Belfast International Airport sits five miles south at Aldergrove. Firms that rely on flights or air freight, along with vehicle, storage and travel businesses, look for units on the roads between the town and the airport.
Lough Neagh shore
Antrim faces the north-east shore of Lough Neagh. Leisure, hospitality and visitor businesses near the water are valued as trading businesses, at indicative rates of 7.0 to 9.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
