No matter if you’re just looking to invest in commercial property or run a business which you want to add value to, at some point in time you’ll finally figure out a commercial mortgage is the best option for your needs. Commercial mortgages and other types of commercial finance are designed to fund large amounts of capital for property purchases such as factories, retail units, warehouses etc.
There are of course some similarities between commercial and residential mortgages, all mortgages will have the same core DNA - a lender will lend you the capital to buy a property and use the same property for security if you cannot keep up with repayments. Yet the differences and complexities between the two are wide, out guide below highlights the five major essentials to be aware of when securing a commercial mortgage.
1. A higher deposit than normal will have to be paid for a commercial purchase: Ordinarily, when you are buying a residential property, you will have to find a deposit of about ten to fifteen per cent of the price of the property. Some lenders will demand higher deposits, especially to secure the very best interest rates.
When you are taking out a commercial mortgage, the rules are different. It is quite common for a buyer to have to offer between 30 and 40 per cent of the purchase price, this is a reflection of the increased risk that the banks feels it is being exposed to (as we all know, banks are increasingly risk averse these days). Investing in commercial property may therefore require you to commit a significant amount of your own cash.
2. The personal touch may be required: Commercial mortgages are normally offered to individuals and partnerships, not just companies. If you are looking to borrow on behalf of your company, perhaps to buy business premises, it is more than likely that the directors will have to offer ‘personal guarantees’ to a lender. This obliges directors to intervene and offer payments to the commercial mortgage if the business fails to keep up with the payments.
3. Mortgage payments are generally tax deductible: Every year, you or your business will have to prepare company accounts or a Self Assessment tax return. One of the advantages of a commercial mortgage is that your interest payments are an allowable tax deduction. HM Revenue and Customs will generally allow you to claim the interest payments on your commercial mortgage as a permitted business expense.
4. Commercial mortgages may be cheaper than your existing business borrowing: Commercial mortgages are secured on property, meaning the lender has the security of the property should you default on your loan. This therefore means that commercial mortgages are cheaper than other forms of borrowing such as unsecured bank loans, overdrafts or company credit cards.
Often, companies will use commercial mortgages not just to buy premises, but also to consolidate other short term debts that are on high interest rates, in much the same way that home owners have done in recent years.
5. Commercial Mortgages have a different structure to residential mortgages: Even though there are some similarities between the two kinds of mortgages, commercial loans are often structured in a slightly different way. You are unlikely to find a commercial loan on a pure ‘interest only’ basis. A lender might allow you to have interest only payments for a year to eighteen months, a loan will generally have to be repaid on a standard capital and interest basis eventually.
Another main difference is that commercial mortgages can be set up on a ‘quarterly payment’ basis. Instead of making a payment each month as you would on a residential mortgage, the lender may instead require that you make payments once every three months.