Business loans or commercial loans are designed for a wide range of small, medium and startup business needs including the buying, refinance or growth of a business. Business loans are similar to a commercial mortgage in that money 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, pubs, residential care homes, guest houses, restaurants, offices, industrial units, blocks of flats and more. A business loan can even be secured against a residential property. 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 advance up to 75% depending upon the proposal and the security offered. Interest rates on the loan are variable and depend upon the credit history of the borrower and the length of the arrangement.

These percentages are known as the Loan-to-Value ratio, or LTV. The lower the LTV, the lower the risk is to the lender. The higher the LTV, the more the risk to the lender and it is likely that a higher interest rate would be levied. Lenders will not generally advance above 75% LTV to try to make sure that there would be sufficient security in the case of a quick sale, often through an auction house when it is expected that property will sell at a discounted rate of up to 25% below the regular market value.