Derry is a cathedral city covering both banks of the River Foyle, with the Cityside and the old walled city on the west bank and the Waterside on the east. With 85,279 people at the 2021 census it is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland after Belfast, and the Derry Urban Area had 105,066 people in 2011. The city sits close to the border with County Donegal, a link that goes back centuries, and in 2013 it became the first UK City of Culture.
We broker; we do not lend. We arrange business mortgages for limited companies in Derry that want to buy the premises they trade from, or refinance a building they already own. It is commercial lending on a company's workplace and has nothing to do with a residential mortgage. We prepare the case and take it to the lenders whose criteria match.
Which Derry City companies buy premises with an owner-occupier mortgage?
The city's 19th-century shirt factories were famous enough to be mentioned by Karl Marx in Das Kapital. Textiles have since declined, and inward investment has taken their place: call centres, Seagate's factory, and multinationals such as Firstsource, INVISTA, Stream International, Perfecseal, Northbrook Technology, Arntz Belting and Invision Software. Local firms include E&I Engineering, St. Brendan's Irish Cream Liqueur and McCambridge Duffy, one of the largest insolvency practices in the UK.
The companies that buy their own buildings here are often in those supply chains or serve the city directly: engineers, software and back-office firms, retailers, hospitality operators, accountants and solicitors. An owner-occupier mortgage is indicatively 6.0 to 7.5% a year; hotels and bars, priced as trading businesses, are around 7.0 to 9.0%. All rates are indicative, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
What the Maiden City's firms do, and what that means for their buildings
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Derry City and Strabane local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Derry share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 1,350 | 19.5% | 4.5% |
| Construction and building trades | 950 | 13.7% | 12.6% |
| Retail | 675 | 9.7% | 9.3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 460 | 6.6% | 13.8% |
| Health and social care | 415 | 6% | 5.7% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 375 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 310 | 4.5% | 4.3% |
| Business support services | 300 | 4.3% | 8.1% |
| Personal and other services | 275 | 4% | 4.1% |
- 4.6xfarming1,340 businesses
- 3.3xenergy supply55 businesses
- 2.4xgambling45 businesses
- 2.0xmembership organisations115 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Across Derry City and Strabane, the business count is weighted towards trades that need floor space and a yard. Construction and building firms make up 13.7% of the district's 6,935 units, motor trade and vehicle repair 3.6% against 3% for the UK, and food manufacturing runs at 1.9 times the national share. Professional and technical firms, by contrast, are just 6.6% of businesses against 13.8% across the UK.
That imbalance shapes valuation. A workshop or trade counter on one of the city's estates has plenty of comparable sales behind it, while a self-contained office building may have fewer, so a surveyor can take longer to settle on a figure.
How do the Foyle bridges and the hills shape commercial property loans in Derry, Northern Ireland?
Derry is distinctively hilly, with the Foyle cutting a deep valley through the city. Three crossings link the two halves: the Craigavon Bridge, the Foyle Bridge, the longest bridge in Ireland, and the Peace Bridge for pedestrians in the centre. On the north-eastern edge, by Lough Foyle, land reclaimed in the 19th century is now a protected bird sanctuary. Road and rail links to other cities are weaker than its size would suggest, with no direct motorway to Belfast or Dublin.
For a valuer, those features matter at the level of the individual building. Steep sites can limit parking and loading, which affects industrial and trade premises. Flat, accessible units near the main routes and the bridges usually appeal to more occupiers, which supports the loan to value a lender will offer.
Where Derry companies own units: Blighs Lane to Rathmore Business Park
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Derry, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Blighs Lane Industrial EstateLondonderry
- Rathmore Business ParkLondonderry BT48 0LZ
- Bay Road Industrial EstateLondonderry BT48 7SH
- Orchard Business ParkLondonderry BT48 0LU
- Iona Business ParkLondonderry BT48 0GJ
- Bay Road Industrial ParkLondonderry BT48 7SE
- Ehagh Business ParkLondonderry BT48 7QL
- Robinson Business ParkLondonderry BT48 0LU
- Pennyburn Business Park Pennyburn Industrial EstateLondonderry BT48 0LU
- Altnagelvin Industrial EstateLondonderry BT47 2EE
- Northland Road Industrial EstateLondonderry BT48 0LD
- Springtown Industrial EstateLondonderry BT48 0LY
What does buying commercial property on the Cityside or Waterside cost up front?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically advance 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, up to 80% for strong cases, over 5 to 25 years, with arrangement fees of about 1 to 2%. Stamp Duty Land Tax applies in Northern Ireland: HMRC charges 0% up to £150,000, 2% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 on non-residential property (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. A software business buys a freehold office building on the Cityside for £700,000. A 75% loan is £525,000, leaving a £175,000 deposit. SDLT is £24,500, so the company needs roughly £199,500 in cash before fees. A Northern Ireland solicitor registers the lender's charge through Land and Property Services, and Derry City and Strabane District Council holds the planning records. See our Derry City and Strabane page for the wider district, and the stamp duty guide for the bands.
Parts of Derry where companies buy premises
Cityside and the walled city
The original walled city stands on a hill on the west bank. Shops, cafés, hospitality and professional offices here are often in older buildings, so lenders look closely at condition and any living space above.
Waterside
The east bank, linked by the Craigavon and Foyle bridges. Its mix of retail parades, offices and industrial land suits trade and service businesses that need road access out of the city.
Springtown
Springtown Industrial Estate has hosted Seagate's factory since 1993. Engineering and manufacturing suppliers look for units here and in similar estates around the city.
Prehen and the south-east
Prehen Wood nature reserve lies within the city's south-eastern suburbs. Local service businesses, clinics and small offices are the usual owner-occupied premises in these areas.
