Aberdeenshire

Specialist Light Industrial Finance in Aberdeen

Funding for industrial units, workshops and multi-let estates in Aberdeen: commercial mortgages, acquisition finance, bridging, development, mezzanine and long-term debt.

Matt Lenzie
Written and reviewed by Matt Lenzie Founder & Principal Broker · 25 years arranging commercial property finance
£7.53/sq ft
Avg multi-let rent (Scotland)
6%
Prime multi-let yield (Scotland)
9.4%
Industrial vacancy (UK, MSCI)

Aberdeen sits in Aberdeenshire, within the Scotland industrial market. Light Industrial Finance arranges funding for industrial units, workshops and multi-let estates across Aberdeenshire. We arrange acquisition finance, commercial mortgages, bridging, development finance, mezzanine and term debt on industrial property in Aberdeen, for owner-occupiers, investors and developers, and place each deal with the lenders that genuinely back the sector.

Every facility we arrange is grounded in the market evidence. Multi-let rents in the region average around £7.53/sq ft (Scotland multi-let average, Gerald Eve (Newmark), Multi-Let Winter bulletin 2024, Q3 2024), with prime Scotland estates at £15/sq ft (Gerald Eve (Newmark), Multi-Let Winter bulletin 2024, Q3 2024) and prime equivalent yields around 6% (Gerald Eve (Newmark), Multi-Let Winter bulletin 2024, Q3 2024). We then underwrite the specific Aberdeen property, its income and its occupier demand, on its own merits.

Commercial mortgages on Aberdeen industrial units

A commercial mortgage is the core way to buy or refinance an industrial unit in Aberdeen. For investors, lenders size the loan against the rent: typically up to around 65 to 70 percent loan to value, tested so the net rental income covers the interest with a clear margin, with the tenancy schedule, the estimated rental value and the re-letting depth of the Aberdeen market all part of the assessment. For owner-occupiers buying their own premises the loan is underwritten on the trading business instead, its accounts and its debt service cover, and can reach around 70 to 80 percent for established firms. Terms run from 5 to 25 years. We place each facility with the lender that prices Aberdeen industrial property best across Aberdeenshire.

Workshops, trade counters and multi-let estates across Aberdeenshire

Each property type is underwritten differently. We arrange finance for workshops and light industrial units, trade counters, multi-let industrial estates, hybrid and flex space, small warehouses and open storage yards in Aberdeen and across Aberdeenshire. A fully let estate of small units with dozens of SME tenancies and a single vacant workshop bought at auction are credit-assessed in very different ways, and knowing which lender backs each format is the work we do before a deal reaches credit. Multi-let estates carry short leases that re-gear to market quickly, which lenders read as reversionary income, while trade counters lean on the covenant strength of national trade brands.

How much you can borrow against Aberdeen industrial property

On an industrial investment in Aberdeen, a commercial mortgage usually reaches around 65 to 70 percent of value, so you would budget for equity of roughly a third of the price plus stamp duty and costs. The figure is driven by the quality of the income, the tenants, the unexpired lease terms and the condition of the unit, not the postcode. Vacant or part-let property is funded differently: bridging finance secures an auction purchase or a unit awaiting letting, typically to around 70 to 75 percent of value from around 0.75 percent per month, and development or refurbishment finance funds works to around 65 to 75 percent of cost, with mezzanine stretching the stack where the scheme supports it. Interest rates depend on the lender, the leverage and the income profile, so we quote them deal by deal rather than as a headline rate. We size the right facility, rate and equity requirement for your Aberdeen deal.

Where industrial property trades in Aberdeen

Known as the Granite City, Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and became the oil capital of Europe after the first major North Sea find in the Forties field in November 1970. Aberdeen is served by A90, A96 and A92, the kind of road access that drives occupier demand for industrial units and supports the rents an estate can sustain. Occupiers here draw staff and customers from across the town, from Old Aberdeen, Torry, Dyce and Woodside, the catchment a lender weighs when it considers re-letting risk. Planning applications for industrial use, including change of use within Class B2, B8 and E(g), are determined by Aberdeen City. Multi-let landlords with estates in or around Aberdeen include Indurent and Mileway, a sign of institutional confidence in the catchment. Indurent holds the Souterhead and Murcar industrial estates at Altens and Bridge of Don, and Mileway has units at Portlethen.

Aberdeen industrial market profile

  • Planning authorityAberdeen City
  • Road accessA90, A96, A92, AWPR
  • Landlords presentIndurent, Mileway

Location facts and Land Registry data. Market figures shown are national or Scotland-level, not Aberdeen-specific.

The Scotland industrial market

Aberdeen is an established industrial market within Scotland, the kind of catchment lenders are comfortable underwriting. Well-let units and estates attract competitive commercial-mortgage and term-debt pricing, while bridging and refurbishment finance suit vacant units, auction purchases and value-add plays where the exit is clear.

The central belt between Glasgow and Edinburgh holds most of Scotland's multi-let stock, with Edinburgh's £15.00 per sq ft prime benchmark set by the Capital Park scheme in 2024.

Edinburgh prime multi-let rents stepped up to £15.00 per sq ft in Q2 2024 when Capital Park completed, setting a new Scottish benchmark, while Glasgow stands at £12.00 on a national all-grades average of £7.53 (Gerald Eve, Q3 2024). Gerald Eve forecasts Scottish prime rental growth of 6.1 percent a year over 2023 to 2028, among the strongest in the UK, because the development pipeline is just 230,000 sq ft with nothing under construction at end-2024 and trade counters occupy 30.1 percent of space, the highest share anywhere. The 6.00 percent prime equivalent yield offers roughly 75 basis points over comparable English regional stock. Newmark's Winter Bulletin 2025 flagged Scotland among the regions where occupier activity strengthened through 2025. We fund central-belt estates and Aberdeen energy-supply-chain assets, and we structure around Scottish title and lease idiosyncrasies as a matter of course.

Market commentary and figures for Scotland are drawn from Gerald Eve (a Newmark company) (Multi-Let, Winter bulletin, 2024); Newmark (Multi-Let, Winter Bulletin, 2025).

Sources and methodology

Industrial market figures are published nationally or regionally, not per town, so the rents, vacancy and yields on this page are presented as context for a Aberdeen appraisal and attributed to their sources (Gerald Eve (Newmark), Multi-Let Winter bulletin 2024; MSCI UK Quarterly Property Index, Q4 2025 results). Town-level facts are different: road access, the named estates, the planning authority, the landlords present are genuinely local and sourced. We do not publish a Aberdeen-specific rent or yield as if it were measured. Nationally the multi-let industrial market runs to 500m+ sq ft of space (Gerald Eve (Newmark), Multi-Let, Winter bulletin 2024).

FAQ

Light industrial finance in Aberdeen: common questions

Can you get a mortgage on an industrial unit in Aberdeen?

Yes. An industrial unit in Aberdeen is financed with a commercial mortgage rather than a residential loan. We arrange them for owner-occupiers buying their own premises, underwritten on the trading business, and for investors buying let units or estates, underwritten on the rent, typically to around 65 to 70 percent loan to value, and we place each one with a lender that backs the sector.

How much deposit do I need to buy an industrial unit in Aberdeen?

Most lenders advance around 65 to 70 percent of value on a let Aberdeen industrial investment, so plan for equity of roughly 30 to 35 percent of the price plus costs. Established owner-occupiers can often reach around 70 to 80 percent against their own premises. A vacant or short-income unit is funded on more cautious terms, often via a bridge first.

What are Aberdeen industrial finance rates and terms?

Rates depend on the lender, the leverage and the income profile of the property, so we quote them deal by deal rather than as a headline. Indicatively, term debt starts from around 6 percent, development finance from around 8 percent and bridging from around 0.75 percent per month, with terms from months on a bridge to 25 years on a commercial mortgage. For market context, regional multi-let rents average around £7.53/sq ft (Scotland multi-let average, Gerald Eve (Newmark), Multi-Let Winter bulletin 2024, Q3 2024).

Can I fund a multi-let estate or a yard in Aberdeen?

Yes. Multi-let industrial estates are funded on the rent roll, with the lender testing interest cover against the net income and the manager's ability to run dozens of small tenancies; open storage and industrial yards are funded against the land with more conservative leverage, typically around 55 to 65 percent. We arrange both routes across Aberdeenshire.

Funding an industrial unit in Aberdeen?

Send us the outline and we will come back with a view on fundability and likely terms within one working day.