Business tenants, let on a standard rolling basis and managed day to day by our own rental team — hands-off income from a different kind of tenant.
Commercial property means letting space to a business rather than a household — offices, retail units, industrial and warehouse space, or mixed-use buildings with a shop below and space above. We let it the same straightforward way as everything else we source: a standard, rolling letting, managed day to day by our own rental management company — not a long, fixed-term institutional lease.
A different kind of tenantInstead of a household on a 6–12 month tenancy, you let space to a business on a lease that can run five, ten, even fifteen years — an office to a company, a unit to a retailer, a warehouse to a logistics operator. The lease itself does most of the work a landlord would otherwise have to: it sets out who pays for what, for how long, and on what terms, in far more detail than a residential tenancy agreement ever does.
That structure is what creates both the lighter running costs and the different set of things to get right. The things to understand before you buy:
Managed day to day by our teamCommercial property runs on a different rulebook to residential — different tax, different rates, different regulation. Here’s the current, factual position.
Business rates are the tenant’s liability while a unit is let, but empty-property relief is time-limited — typically 3 months for most commercial property, 6 months for industrial and warehouse space. After that, the landlord becomes liable for the rates bill until it’s re-let. It’s a real, genuine cost of a void — one we build into how we assess any commercial opportunity, not something we skip past.
Since 1 April 2023, it has been unlawful to continue letting non-domestic property below an EPC rating of E, under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) — this applies to every let commercial property, subject to a small number of registered exemptions. We confirm EPC compliance before any commercial property is offered to you.
Non-residential Stamp Duty Land Tax is structured differently to residential: 0% up to £150,000, 2% up to £250,000, and 5% above that — and crucially, neither the residential 5% additional-property surcharge nor the 2% non-resident surcharge apply to a commercial purchase.
Commercial mortgages are also assessed differently to a standard residential buy-to-let — typically a lower loan-to-value, and lenders weigh the strength of the letting itself, not just the bricks and mortar. We’ll be upfront about realistic finance options on any specific property.
Sources: GOV.UK guidance on business rates and empty-property relief; GOV.UK non-domestic private rented property minimum energy efficiency standard (MEES) guidance; GOV.UK Stamp Duty Land Tax rates for non-residential property. Rates, reliefs and thresholds shown are current at the time of publication — always confirm the position on a specific property with us and your solicitor before relying on it.
Managed day to day by our own rental management company — you’re not the one chasing rent or fielding calls.
A standard rolling letting, not a long institutional lease locking either side in for a decade.
A different tenant base and different economic drivers, away from the residential-heavy crowd.
Commercial yields tend to run higher than residential because the market prices in the things that are different about it: a longer void if a tenant leaves, and a return that leans on one tenant’s business rather than a pool of individual renters. Our own rental management company handles the letting and the day-to-day, the same as it would for any other property we source — a management fee comes out of the rent, the same principle as any managed let.
Here is the shape of a typical small commercial unit, with a paying tenant already in place — illustrative only, not a specific deal or a promise of returns:
Illustrative figures only, assuming a paying tenant already in place and a standard management fee. Excludes mortgage cost, void periods, and personal tax, and is not a forecast, an offer, or a guarantee of returns — ask us for the actual management fee and figures on a specific property. Model your own numbers on our yield calculator, or rate a specific deal you've found.
“Commercial property doesn’t have to mean a ten-year institutional lease. Let on a standard rolling basis and managed day to day by our own team, it’s built to be as hands-off as anything else we source — just with a business tenant, and a different set of running costs.”
Void periods can still run longer than residential — once empty-rates relief expires, the business rates bill becomes yours until it's re-let. Commercial finance is typically harder to arrange than a standard buy-to-let mortgage, usually at a lower loan-to-value. And a lot rides on the strength of one tenant's business, not a diversified pool of individual renters.
Not sure which strategy fits your goals? Our 60-second Investor Fit points you in the right direction — or just ask us directly.
We check the tenant and the letting before a commercial property ever reaches you, and our own rental management company runs it day to day once you own it — so the numbers you see hold up in practice, not just on paper.
Book a call and we’ll walk you through live commercial opportunities on honest numbers — management fee and all.
Any property let to a business rather than a household — offices, retail units, industrial and warehouse space, leisure premises, and mixed-use buildings (a shop with a flat above, for example). What defines it is the tenant, not the building type.
Our own rental management company — the same as it would be for any other let we source. You’re not the one chasing rent, arranging repairs or fielding calls from the tenant.
No — we let our commercial stock on a standard, rolling basis rather than a long, fixed-term institutional lease. It’s more flexible for both sides, though it doesn’t carry the multi-year income certainty a long commercial lease can offer. We’ll always be upfront about the specific terms on a specific property.
You stop receiving rent, and after a period of empty-property rates relief — typically 3 months, 6 for industrial premises — the business rates liability passes to you as landlord until it's re-let. It's a genuine cost of a void, and one we factor into how we assess a commercial opportunity, not something we gloss over.
No — commercial property needs specialist commercial finance, assessed differently to a residential buy-to-let mortgage. Lenders typically offer a lower loan-to-value. We can introduce a specialist commercial broker.
Yes, and it works in your favour. Non-residential Stamp Duty Land Tax runs on lower bands than residential, and neither the 5% additional-property surcharge nor the 2% non-resident surcharge apply to a commercial purchase.
It's a different risk shape, not simply higher or lower. Income rests on one tenant's business rather than a pool of individual renters, and a void can run longer and cost more once empty-rates relief expires. In exchange, the running yield tends to be stronger and it's genuinely hands-off, since our management company runs it day to day.
Yes. Because it's fully managed by our rental team, it suits investors who won't be on the ground day to day just as well as any other strategy we source. We handle sourcing and due diligence, and can introduce specialist finance — see our guide for overseas investors.
Lease-backed and fully hands-off — an operator runs the whole house and pays you a fixed rent.
Explore HMO → Long-lease social impact propertyHands-off, often long-lease income from property used to house adults with care needs.
Explore Assisted Living → The classic single-let strategyThe straightforward route in — a single property let to one household for income and growth.
Explore Buy-to-Let →Send your details and we’ll come back with current commercial opportunities and honest, lease-backed figures.