Specialist commercial mortgage broker for companies in Aberdeen City

The old trades of fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding and textiles have largely given way to oil, gas and the seaport, which is the largest in the north-east part of Scotland. Aberdeen Heliport is one of the busiest commercial heliports in the world, and the city has become a major world centre for undersea petroleum technology. With North Sea reserves falling, the Scottish Enterprise "Energetica" initiative aims to move that know-how into renewables and other industries. Electronics design, agricultural and soil research at The James Hutton Institute and nutrition science at the Rowett Research Institute add a second, research-driven economy.

For a trading company that usually means buying a workshop with a yard, a storage building near the quays, a laboratory or office suite, or a granite-fronted shop in the centre. An owner-occupier mortgage is a long-term loan secured on the building the company itself occupies, repaid from trading profit rather than from tenants' rent.

Because so much of the city's supply chain depends on offshore work, lenders active in owner-occupier lending look hard at where a company's income comes from. A subsea engineering firm with several years of steady contracts spread across more than one operator is a very different proposition from a business that relies on a single customer. We set out the order book, the client spread and any shift into renewables work, so the credit team sees the trend behind the headline figures.

The building matters too. A specialised fabrication shop with heavy cranage may be valued on what another occupier would pay for it, which can be less than it cost to fit out. Indicative pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year for owner-occupiers at a typical 70 to 75% loan to value, subject to status, accounts and valuation. If you already own your premises and want a better rate or to release capital, see remortgaging business premises.

Scotland does not charge Stamp Duty Land Tax. A purchase in Aberdeen pays Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, administered by Revenue Scotland. For non-residential property it is 0% on the first £150,000, 1% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 (Revenue Scotland, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy). The return and payment are due within 30 days, and your solicitor normally deals with both.

Illustrative example. A subsea services company buys a freehold workshop with a yard for £800,000. A 75% loan is £600,000, so the deposit is £200,000. LBTT comes to £28,500, which means the business needs about £228,500 of its own cash before legal, valuation and arrangement fees. Lenders do not fund the tax. Our guide to commercial property tax in all four nations shows the bands side by side.

Aberdeen City Council is the planning authority for the whole city, so its records show whether a building's current use is lawful, and the lender's solicitor will check them before funds are released. Under Scots law the purchase becomes binding when missives conclude, so the loan offer should be agreed before your solicitor concludes them. The lender then takes a standard security over the property, registered with Registers of Scotland in the Land Register, usually alongside personal guarantees from the directors.

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. Our page on business mortgages in Scotland covers the rest of the country.