We don’t just broker hospitality finance. We own and run [an 11-room hotel with a bar and restaurant] on the west coast of Scotland. We’ve bought the building, funded the fit-out, managed the rotas and balanced the books. When we take your deal to a lender, we speak both languages: yours and theirs.
Buying a hotel, pub or restaurant. Commercial mortgages from £100k for freehold trading businesses, whether you’re a first-time operator making a lifestyle move or an experienced group adding a site. Lenders assess these deals on the trading accounts as much as the bricks, and we’ll tell you honestly how yours will read before any application goes in.
Bridging for time-critical purchases. Closing dates and sealed bids don’t wait for a high street bank’s timeline. Short-term finance from £100k to secure the property, with a planned exit to a term mortgage once trading accounts or refurbishment support it.
Refurbishment and fit-out funding. Development and refurb finance for extensions, room additions, kitchen rebuilds and full repositioning projects. We’ve run a fit-out while trading around it, so we understand phasing, cash flow during works, and the uplift lenders will and won’t recognise.
Asset finance for the kit. Commercial kitchens, refrigeration, EPOS, laundry, furniture. Spread the cost over the life of the equipment instead of draining working capital during your quiet season.
Working capital and seasonality. Business loans and flexible facilities that recognise a Scottish seasonal trading pattern: strong summers, long winters, and a cash profile that terrifies lenders who’ve never seen one. We know how to present it so it doesn’t.
Hospitality is a specialist lending sector. Plenty of lenders won’t touch it; the ones that do look well beyond the property valuation:
We know this list because we’ve been on the receiving end of it.
Rural and island trading businesses are their own category. Some lenders quietly cap loan-to-value outside the central belt or decline island postcodes entirely; others actively like strong lifestyle-destination businesses on the tourist routes. Seasonality on the west coast and islands is more extreme than lenders based in London assume, and presenting a full trading year rather than a flattering half is what keeps a deal alive at underwriting. Utilities, freight and staffing costs run higher and need explaining, not hiding. We arrange finance for hospitality businesses across all of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands, and part of the value is simply knowing which lender will genuinely consider your postcode.
[Case study slot: write up a real hospitality completion as soon as one lands. Interim option: an anonymised worked example clearly labelled as illustrative, showing deal shape: purchase price, adjusted net profit, LTV offered, structure, timeline.]
Sealed bids, missives and lender coverage shape every deal here. Read our guide to property finance in Scotland.
Often yes, though expect a lower loan-to-value and more scrutiny of your wider business background and your plan. A strong general business track record counts for a lot if it's presented properly.
Typically [25 to 40]% for trading hospitality businesses depending on the strength of the accounts, the location and your experience. Stronger adjusted profits support higher gearing.
Yes. Seasonality is normal in Scottish hospitality and lenders who know the sector expect it. The key is presenting a full-year picture with honest management figures.
It can do, and it's a genuine legal boundary. Where you or your family occupy 40% or more of the property as a home, the loan may be a regulated mortgage contract, which we don't arrange. Tell us your setup at the start and we'll tell you straight away whether it's something we can take on.
Yes, through refurb or development facilities with staged drawdowns. We've traded through a fit-out ourselves, so we'll also give you a candid view on phasing and cash flow, not just the finance.
Send us the basics: the property, the price or value, the amount you need, and a line on the trading position. Within one working day we'll give you an honest view: fundable or not, roughly at what cost, and what would strengthen the deal.