Getting a Commercial Loan
Posted in General Interest on 03/22/2009 04:01 pm by EditorSecured business loans or commercial loans are designed for a wide variety of small, medium and startup business needs including the purchase, refinance or growth of a company. Business loans are similar to a commercial mortgage in that funds can be borrowed over an extended period of time, usually a maximum of 25 years, and are secured on the building being purchased.
A business loan can be secured against most types of freehold or long leasehold buildings, such as factories, shops, bars, care homes, hotels, restaurants, office buildings, industrial units, apartment blocks and more. A business loan can even be secured against a residential building. The lending criteria is very similar to that of a commercial mortgage except that the usual maximum that can be borrowed is 60% of the assessed Market Value. However, a few lenders will let you borrow up to 75% depending upon the deal and the security available. Interest rates on the loan are variable and depend upon the status of the borrower and the length of the loan.
These percentages are known as the Loan-to-Value ratio, or LTV. The lower the LTV, the lower the financial risk is to the lender. The higher the LTV, the higher the risk to the lender and it is likely that a higher interest rate would be charged. Lenders will not usually advance above 75% LTV to try to make sure that there would be enough security in the event of a forced sale, often through an auction house when it is expected that property will sell at a lower rate of up to 25% below the regular market value.