Inverness is a city in the north of Scotland, long regarded as the de facto capital of the Highlands and the administrative centre for The Highland Council, whose headquarters sit close to the city centre. It serves a hinterland of around half a million people and roughly 51% of Scotland's landmass as a regional hub for healthcare, education and research, business services, public administration, retail, media and transport. The northernmost city in the UK, it was granted city status in 2000 as a Millennium City. It lies at the northern end of the Great Glen, where the River Ness flows from Loch Ness into the Moray Firth.
We are a broker and we never lend. We arrange business mortgages for trading companies that want to buy or refinance their own premises in Inverness. This is commercial finance secured on your company's building, not a residential mortgage, and we put the case to the lenders whose criteria fit your accounts and the property.
Which premises do firms in the Highland capital buy with an owner-occupier mortgage?
Wikipedia notes that most traditional industries, such as distilling, have been replaced by high-tech businesses, including the design and manufacture of diabetes diagnostic kits by LifeScan. Highlands and Islands Enterprise has principally funded the Centre for Health Science to attract more medical and medical devices businesses, and Scottish Natural Heritage relocated to the city from Edinburgh, providing a large number of jobs.
Because the city serves such a wide area, its owner-occupiers are varied: medical and life sciences firms, professional practices, dental and veterinary surgeries, retailers, trades and builders' merchants, distributors supplying the wider Highlands, and hotels and restaurants serving visitors. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages explains how lenders look at a company buying the building it uses.
Inverness trades: builders, hoteliers and rural suppliers
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Highland local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Inverness share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 2,320 | 16.7% | 4.5% |
| Construction and building trades | 1,770 | 12.7% | 12.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 1,230 | 8.9% | 13.9% |
| Retail | 1,145 | 8.2% | 9.3% |
| Business support services | 895 | 6.4% | 8.1% |
| Hotels and accommodation | 850 | 6.1% | 0.8% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 755 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
| Health and social care | 675 | 4.9% | 5.7% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 615 | 4.4% | 4.3% |
- 20.3xfishing and aquaculture345 businesses
- 9.9xforestry225 businesses
- 8.0xwater transport50 businesses
- 7.8xquarrying45 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Inverness is the service hub for a Highland economy of 13,920 business units, where 2,365 are small or medium-sized. Construction makes up 12.7% of firms, with 1,770 builders and trades, and farming, forestry and fishing 16.7%, so many city businesses supply the rural economy around them.
Professional, scientific and technical firms are under-represented at 8.9% against 13.9% nationally. Office demand is correspondingly thinner, so trade counters, workshops and builders' merchants on Longman and the Carse tend to be the more liquid end of the market for a buyer or a valuer.
How do the A9, A82 and A96 shape commercial property loans in Inverness, Scotland?
Three trunk roads link Inverness to the rest of Scotland: the A9 north to Thurso and Wick and south to Perth and the Central Belt, the A82 to Glasgow via Fort William, and the A96 to Elgin and Aberdeen. The Kessock Bridge crosses the Moray Firth to the Black Isle. Plans include dualling the A96 to Nairn and an eastern link joining the A9 at Inshes to the A96. The main railway station lies almost opposite the Academy Street entrance to the Victorian Market.
For a buyer, a trade or distribution unit close to these routes is easier for a valuer to compare and for a lender to picture being re-let, because firms serving the Highlands all need the same road access. City-centre shops and offices benefit instead from the station and footfall.
From Longman to the Carse: Inverness estates where firms own units
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Inverness, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Longman Road Industrial EstateInverness IV1 1TY
- Longman Industrial EstateInverness IV1 1SY
- In Business CentreInverness IV1 1SU
- Carse Industrial EstateInverness IV3 8EA
- D Telford St Industrial EstateInverness IV3 8EX
- TwoWorksBEECHWOOD PARK, Sir Walter Scott Dr., Inverness IV2 3BW
- Business & Retail ParkInverness IV2 7GD
- Inverness Retail and Business ParkInverness IV2 7GD
- Fairways Business ParkInverness IV2 6AA
- Cradlehall Business ParkInverness IV2 5GH
- Smithton Industrial EstateSmithton, Inverness IV2 7WL
What does buying business property in the city of Inverness cost?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically advance 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, up to 80% for strong cases, at an indicative 6.0 to 7.5% a year over 5 to 25 years, with arrangement fees usually 1 to 2%, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
The purchase pays Land and Buildings Transaction Tax to Revenue Scotland. Non-residential property is taxed at 0% up to £150,000, 1% on the band to £250,000 and 5% above that (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. A medical devices company buys a unit for £420,000. A 75% loan is £315,000 and the deposit £105,000. LBTT on £420,000 is £9,500, so the company needs about £114,500 in cash before fees. Our guide to stamp duty on commercial property has the full bands.
The Highland Council is the planning authority. Under Scots law the solicitors conclude missives and the lender registers a standard security in the Land Register of Scotland. Lending to a limited company for its trading premises is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter, and where a deal would be regulated, such as 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. See our Highland business mortgages page for the wider area.
Business districts in Inverness
City centre: High Street, Church Street and Academy Street
The traditional centre is a triangle bounded by High Street, Church Street and Academy Street, with Union Street and Queensgate crossing it. Shops, offices, cafés and professional practices dominate, and many buildings have upper floors that make a purchase semi-commercial.
Victorian Market
Between Union Street and Queensgate, the Victorian Market contains a large number of small shops, opposite the railway station. Independent retailers and food businesses trade here, and lenders will look closely at the title and any shared obligations within the market building.
Eastgate
The Eastgate Shopping Centre was developed east of the High Street from the 1970s, with a substantial extension completed in 2003. Retail and leisure businesses occupy the area, which extends the city's shopping core eastwards.
Inshes
Inshes, on the south-eastern side of the city, is where the A9 is planned to link to the A96 under the eastern section of the trunk road link. Its location suits retail, trade and service businesses that need quick access to the main road network.
West bank: Kinmylies and the Bught
West of the River Ness, linked by the Ness, Friars and Black bridges, Kinmylies and the Bught are largely residential with leisure facilities. Local shops, practices and service businesses buy premises here to serve the growing west side of the city.
