Bolton Business Finance is an independent commercial finance broker based in Bolton. Our office is at Westgate House on Westgate Avenue, BL1 4RF. We arrange commercial mortgages, bridging, development finance, business loans, asset finance, invoice finance and merchant cash advances for businesses and property investors across the borough.
We are not a national firm with a Bolton phone number. We are a commercial finance broker in Bolton, trading since 2020, and this is where we work from. If you want to sit down with someone about a funding problem, we are a short drive away and there is no charge for the first meeting.
Written by Marcus Wright, owner and founder of Bolton Business Finance Ltd, in financial services since 2008 and a commercial finance broker since 2019. Last reviewed September 2026.
Looking for a residential mortgage in Bolton? We cannot help, and we would rather tell you now than three paragraphs in. We are not FCA authorised and we do not arrange residential mortgages, remortgages, first time buyer mortgages or consumer buy to let. We arrange business finance only. Full detail here.
On this page
- Our office in Bolton
- Bridging finance in Bolton
- Commercial mortgage broker Bolton
- Invoice finance and working capital
- Business loans and asset finance
- Buy to let and property investment
- Development finance in Bolton
- What we do not do
- Bolton businesses we work with
- Bolton commercial finance FAQs
- Apply for commercial finance in Bolton
The short version
- A commercial finance broker arranges funding for businesses from lenders across the market, rather than lending money itself.
- Bolton Business Finance Ltd has traded from Bolton since 2020, is a member of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers, and works with a panel of more than 135 lenders.
- We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. We arrange non-regulated business finance only, and no residential mortgages of any kind.
- Bridging completes in days to a fortnight. A commercial mortgage usually takes 3 to 6 months. Business loans and merchant cash advances can be done inside a week.
- There is no broker fee on most facilities. Property secured deals carry £495 upfront and 1% on completion.
Our Office In Bolton
We are at Westgate House, 1 Westgate Avenue, Bolton, BL1 4RF, with parking on site. Bolton is the one place on this website where we are not describing a drive, because we are already here. If you would rather we came to you, we will, anywhere from Horwich and Blackrod through to Farnworth, Westhoughton, Little Lever, Kearsley, Bromley Cross and Egerton.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Office | Westgate House, 1 Westgate Avenue, Bolton, BL1 4RF. Parking on site |
| Areas covered | Bolton town centre, Horwich, Blackrod, Westhoughton, Farnworth, Kearsley, Little Lever, Bromley Cross, Egerton, Astley Bridge and Halliwell |
| Products arranged | Commercial mortgages, bridging, development finance, business loans, asset finance, invoice finance, merchant cash advances |
| Lender panel | Over 135 lenders, from high street banks to specialist and non-bank funders |
| Broker fee | None on most facilities, we are paid a disclosed commission by the lender. Property secured deals carry £495 upfront and 1% on completion |
| Trading since | 2020. Company number 12495909. NACFB member |
| Regulatory status | Not FCA authorised. Non-regulated business finance only. No residential mortgages |
Bridging Finance in Bolton
Bridging is the product we are asked about most often in Bolton, by some distance. It is short term property lending, usually three to eighteen months, priced monthly and repaid from a sale or a refinance rather than from monthly income.
- Buying at auction, where completion is fixed at twenty eight days
- Buying a property no mainstream lender will touch, typically no kitchen, no bathroom or serious damp
- Breaking a chain when a sale slips at the wrong moment
- Raising working capital quickly against property already owned
- Funding a refurbishment before refinancing onto a term facility
We work with Bolton solicitors on these regularly, usually where a client has a deadline and the conveyancing is already under way. If you are a solicitor with a client who needs to complete and the funding has fallen over, call us rather than emailing a form. Bridging cases are decided on whether the exit is credible, and that is a conversation.
The number that catches people out
Bridging lenders size the loan against the 180 day value, not the open market value. That is what the property would fetch in a forced six month sale, and it is routinely 10% to 20% below the figure in the valuation you paid for. If you have budgeted on the headline valuation, the advance can land well short of what you planned for.
Commercial Mortgage Broker Bolton
A commercial mortgage is a loan secured against property used for business purposes. That covers premises your own business trades from, and property you buy to let to a commercial tenant. Terms usually run 3 to 25 years, occasionally up to 30. Lenders typically advance up to 70% of value on commercial property and up to 75% on semi-commercial, meaning a shop or office with a flat above it.
A recent Bolton commercial mortgage
A Bolton construction and security contractor came to us in August 2025 to buy their premises. The facility was £234,000 at 65% of value, on a three year fixed rate with early repayment charges, and we quoted it through the whole market before placing it.
It went to a high street bank, not a specialist. That is worth saying, because brokers tend to imply the banks never say yes. They often do, on straightforward owner occupied purchases with clean accounts, and where they do it is usually the cheapest answer available. Our job on that case was knowing it would fit rather than assuming it would not.
Enquiry to funds released was 27 August 2025 to 30 January 2026, almost exactly five months, with the valuation and the legal work taking most of it.
The distinction that catches people out is investment against trading. If you are buying premises to run your own business from, the lender underwrites your business. If you are buying to let it out, the lender underwrites the rental income and the covenant behind it. Same building, two entirely different applications, and often two entirely different lists of lenders.
Be realistic on timing. In our experience a commercial mortgage takes 3 to 6 months from first enquiry to completion, and longer on a complicated case. If your deadline is weeks rather than months, bridging is usually the honest answer and we will say so. Our main commercial mortgage broker page sets out lender appetite and typical loan to value by property type.
Invoice Finance and Working Capital
Invoice finance releases cash tied up in unpaid invoices. You raise an invoice, the funder advances most of it straight away, and the balance follows when your customer pays. In Bolton it is overwhelmingly a construction and contracting product, because that is where the money sits longest.
A recent Bolton invoice finance case
A Bolton construction contractor turning over around £238,000 a year needed working capital to take on more work. They were invoicing £20,000 to £25,000 a week against applications for payment, with works certificates and photographs, and waiting on payment terms they could not control. There was also a county court judgment on the file, registered against a wrong address and settled within thirty days.
We took it to three funders. The one that completed is an independent invoice finance provider rather than a bank, which matters because banks tend to stop at the CCJ rather than reading what it was. The facility was £100,000 with a 90% advance against each invoice, a 0.98% service fee, cost of funds at 2.95% over base, and a £445 monthly minimum, on the terms agreed in 2026.
Enquiry on 19 January 2026, paid out on 28 April 2026. The facility was worth about 42% of the company’s annual turnover.
That case is a fair illustration of why a CCJ is not the end of a conversation. It is a fact on a credit file, and what matters is what it was for, whether it was settled and how quickly. Some lenders decline on sight. Others ask.
Business Loans and Asset Finance in Bolton
Across the UK, 99.18% of businesses employ fewer than 50 people and around three quarters employ nobody beyond the owners, according to the government’s Business Population Estimates for 2025. Bolton’s business base sits firmly at that end, which matters because most high street lending policy is built around businesses considerably larger.
- Unsecured business loans, typically £10,000 to £500,000, decisions in days rather than weeks
- Secured business loans, larger sums against property, slower but cheaper
- Asset finance, for vehicles, plant and machinery, with nil deposit options and no broker fee
- Merchant cash advances, repaid as a percentage of card takings, which suits retail and hospitality
Buy To Let and Property Investment in Bolton
Bolton is the cheapest entry point of the Greater Manchester boroughs we cover, and rents here are moving faster than the region. According to ONS and HM Land Registry data, the average house price in Bolton was £203,000 in June 2026, up 4.9% on the year. Average private rent was £884 a month in July 2026, up 9.9% from £805 a year earlier.
Set that against the region. The North West average house price was £220,000 and the average rent £965. Bolton sits below the regional average on both measures, but rent growth here ran at close to double the regional rate of 5.7%. On the headline averages that is a gross yield around 5.2%, broadly in line with the region, from a materially lower purchase price.
The entry price is the point. A terraced house in Bolton averaged around £164,000 in May 2026 against roughly £199,000 in Bury, for rents that are not far apart. That is why a deposit stretches further here, and why most of the Bolton investor cases we see are portfolio purchases rather than single properties.
What lenders will do about it is a separate question. Rent rising nearly 10% in a year is recent, and a lender stressing affordability will test the rent against the payment at a rate well above what you are actually paying. Fast recent growth does not soften that test.
Business purpose only
We arrange buy to let and property investment finance on a business basis only, through limited companies, partnerships and portfolio landlords. We do not arrange consumer buy to let, which covers property you have lived in or inherited, or that a close family member occupies. Those cases are regulated and we cannot help with them.
Development Finance in Bolton
Development finance funds a build rather than a purchase. It is released in stages against certified progress, with interest rolled up and settled at exit rather than serviced monthly. Bolton has a genuine pipeline at the moment, with town centre regeneration running alongside schemes at Church Wharf, Moor Lane and Farnworth, and that tends to pull smaller developers in behind it onto infill and conversion sites.
- Day one advance against the site, released on completion of the purchase
- Build drawdowns, paid in arrears as a monitoring surveyor certifies the work completed
- Practical completion, final drawdown released and any retention settled
- Exit, loan and rolled up interest repaid from unit sales or a refinance
Expect around 65% of gross development value and up to 85% of cost. The most common mistake we see is assuming the full facility lands on completion. It does not, and you need working capital to reach each certification point. One caution on regeneration: there is a long distance between an announced scheme, a funded scheme, one under construction and one finished. Lenders price what is built, not what is proposed, and neither should you.
What We Do Not Do
More people reach this site looking for a residential mortgage broker in Bolton than for anything else we are asked about. We are not one. Because we share a name with the town, we get found by searches we cannot help with, so this section exists to save you the time.
We cannot help with these
- Residential mortgages, including first time buyer, home mover and remortgage
- Consumer buy to let, meaning property you have lived in, inherited, or that a close family member occupies
- Self employed residential mortgages and bad credit residential mortgages
- 95% mortgages and mortgage reviews for your own home
- Any form of consumer credit or personal borrowing
Bolton Business Finance Ltd is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Those products are regulated and require FCA authorisation, so arranging them would be outside what we are permitted to do. For a residential mortgage you need an FCA authorised mortgage broker, and there are several good independent advisers in Bolton who will help.
One more thing worth clearing up. We are not connected to N Bolton Finance, and we are not a general financial services or wealth management firm. We arrange lending to businesses. Limited companies, partnerships, sole traders trading commercially and property investors buying on a business basis.
Bolton Businesses We Work With
- Construction and contracting. The single largest group we fund in Bolton. Groundworks, security and access, fire and electrical, joinery, flooring and building contractors. Usually invoice finance against applications for payment, or asset finance for plant and vehicles.
- Logistics and haulage. Operators along the M61 corridor and around the town centre. Asset finance for tractor units and trailers, and working capital between payment runs.
- Hospitality and food. Restaurants, takeaways and cafes across the town centre and Farnworth. Merchant cash advance where card takings are strong, short term loans where they are not.
- Property investors and small developers. Buying terraced stock to let, or converting older buildings. Bridging first, then a term facility once it is let or sold.
- Professional firms. Accountants, solicitors and consultancies, usually for premises purchases or to smooth partner drawings across a year.
A fair proportion of our work comes through Bolton accountants and solicitors who send us the cases their own contacts cannot place. If you are an adviser with a client in that position, we are happy to take a call rather than a referral form.
Bolton Commercial Finance FAQs
Do you arrange residential mortgages in Bolton?
No. Bolton Business Finance Ltd is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and residential mortgages are a regulated product that requires authorisation. We do not arrange residential mortgages, remortgages, first time buyer mortgages, consumer buy to let, self employed residential mortgages or any form of consumer credit. We arrange business finance only. For a residential mortgage you need an FCA authorised mortgage broker.
Where is your Bolton office?
Westgate House, 1 Westgate Avenue, Bolton, BL1 4RF, with parking on site. We have traded from Bolton since 2020. If it is easier we will come to you instead, anywhere in the borough from Horwich and Blackrod across to Farnworth, Westhoughton, Little Lever and Bromley Cross. The first meeting is free and there is no obligation to proceed.
How quickly can bridging finance complete in Bolton?
Days to a fortnight on a clean case where the valuation and the legal work move. The limiting factors are almost never the lender. They are the valuation slot and the conveyancing. Bridging is sized against the 180 day value rather than the open market value, which is typically 10% to 20% lower, so check the advance you will actually receive before you commit to a deadline.
Can you help if my business has a CCJ?
Often, yes. A CCJ is a fact on a credit file and what matters is what it was for, whether it was settled, and how quickly. We arranged a £100,000 invoice finance facility for a Bolton contractor in April 2026 that had a CCJ on file, registered at a wrong address and settled within thirty days. Some lenders decline on sight. Others ask. Knowing which is which is most of the job.
Do you only use specialist lenders, or high street banks too?
Both. Our panel runs from high street banks to specialist and non-bank funders. On a straightforward owner occupied purchase with clean accounts, a high street bank is often the cheapest answer and we will place it there. We completed a £234,000 commercial mortgage for a Bolton contractor in January 2026 with a high street bank at 65% loan to value. The point of using a broker is knowing which cases fit where, not avoiding banks on principle.
Do you charge a broker fee?
On most facilities, no. We are paid a commission by the lender if you proceed, which is disclosed to you and does not increase your cost. Property secured deals are the exception and carry a £495 fee upfront plus 1% on successful completion. You will always know the position before you commit to anything.
Apply For Commercial Finance in Bolton
Tell us what you are trying to fund
Send us the details and we will come back to you, usually within 24 hours, with the options that are realistic and what they are likely to cost. If we cannot improve on what you have already been offered, we will say so. If you would rather call in, we are at Westgate House with parking on site.
About the author
Marcus Wright is the owner and founder of Bolton Business Finance Ltd. He has worked in financial services since 2008, beginning his career at Santander, and has been a commercial finance broker since March 2019.
He founded Bolton Business Finance in 2020 to give businesses access to the whole lending market rather than one bank’s own product range. The firm is a member of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers and works with a panel of 135+ lenders.
Marcus arranges commercial mortgages, bridging, development finance, business loans, asset finance, invoice finance and merchant cash advances. To discuss a Bolton case, call 0161 546 9128.
Marcus is also the author of UK Commercial Finance (2026), a commercial finance book for UK business owners and property investors.
Bolton Business Finance Ltd is an independent commercial finance brokerage, not a lender. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and can only complete non-regulated introductions. All lending is for business purposes only. We do not arrange residential mortgages, consumer buy to let or consumer credit. Registered address: Westgate House, 1 Westgate Avenue, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL1 4RF. Company number 12495909.