CMB arranges commercial mortgages, bridging loans and development finance for property professionals across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. Led by Matt Lenzie, ex-Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland, institutional-grade underwriting, direct lender access and decisions in 48 hours.
Cambridge commercial property finance, offices, retail and mixed-use assets
CMB combines former Lloyds and Bank of Scotland underwriting experience with direct board-level relationships at the UK's leading commercial lenders.
Former Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland professionals who understand lender criteria inside-out
Direct relationships with lender decision-makers for faster approvals and better terms
Proven success arranging complex commercial property finance across the UK
The factors lenders weigh when assessing Cambridge commercial mortgages, sector demand, transport connectivity and active regeneration programmes.
“World-class university and research cluster. Life sciences and tech driving exceptional demand. Constrained supply supports premium values.”
, CMB Market Analysis
North East Cambridge; Cambridge Science Park expansion; station area
Cambridge is the UK's most distinctive commercial property market outside London, with HM Land Registry recording 890 commercial-leaning transactions across the city in the rolling five-year window to Q1 2026.
The Cambridgeshire regional briefing covering Cambridge and the wider region. A Q2 2026 commercial property briefing on Cambridgeshire, a two-engine county anchored by the Cambridge Cluster of biotech, AI, and quantum occupiers in the south, and by Peterborough's logistics and distribution hub on the East Coast Main Line in the north. We walk through the bimodal pricing across seven principal towns, recent Acuitus auction prints clearing between roughly five and a third and eleven and a quarter percent, and where lender appetite sits today.
Part of the Commercial Property Briefing podcast series. Subscribe via the RSS feed.
Submarket-level prime rent benchmarks across Cambridge's main commercial districts, the figures that shape valuations, lender comparables and target acquisition prices.
Life Sciences/Tech
Pharma R&D
Mixed Use
University Research
Retail/Professional
293 commercial sales in Cambridge across the last 60 months, sourced from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. 28 records in the current sample are confidently sector-classified; the wider recent sample is shown as general commercial transaction evidence.
Cambridge Grove Care Home, Cambridge Road, Fulbourn, Cambridge
300, High Street, Cottenham, Cambridge
35, High Street, Foxton, Cambridge
Unit P1 Dales Manor Business Park, Grove Road, Sawston, Cambridge
Horseshoes, High Street, Fen Drayton, Cambridge
Cygnus Business Park, Barn A, Middle Watch, Swavesey, Cambridge
Plot 6b, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Plot 6a, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
42, Papworth Business Park, Papworth Everard, Cambridge
40, Papworth Business Park, Papworth Everard, Cambridge
38, Papworth Business Park, Papworth Everard, Cambridge
36, Papworth Business Park, Papworth Everard, Cambridge
76 - 78, High Street, Sawston, Cambridge
43, High Street, Rampton, Cambridge
Orchard Path, High Street, Cottenham, Cambridge
279, High Street, Cottenham, Cambridge
Plot 1, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Plot 4, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
76, High Street, Great Shelford, Cambridge
52, Papworth Business Park, Papworth Everard, Cambridge
Norman Way Industrial Estate, Unit 123, Cambridge Road, Milton, Cambridge
Plot 8, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Plot 2, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Plot 3, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Plot 5, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Plot 6a, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Plot 7, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Plot 9, Moor Drove, Histon, Cambridge
Weavers Lodge, Blacksmiths Lane, Shudy Camps, Cambridge
Stone Cross, Trumpington Road, Trumpington, Cambridge
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (Category B records). Sector classification is address-based and best-effort; unclassified records are shown as general commercial transactions and smaller sectors may include mixed-use or conversion deals.
32,000+ students across 2 institutions drive sustained occupier demand for purpose-built student accommodation and licensed HMOs in Cambridge.
2 institutions · 32,000 students
City-wide additional licensing since 2019 (renewed 2024)
Premium values compress yields. Strict Article 4 limits new HMO creation. Existing licensed HMOs command significant premium.
Three core debt structures cover the majority of Cambridge commercial property deals. Each carries a different lender panel, LTV ceiling and pricing band, match the structure to the asset and the timeline.
Lender appetite, yield bands and debt structures vary materially by property type. Pick the briefing that matches your Cambridge acquisition.
Office investment finance for headquarters buildings, business parks, multi-let suites and office-led mixed-use schemes.
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Industrial and logistics finance for big-box distribution, multi-let estates, last-mile urban logistics and trade counter parks.
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Retail property finance for high street parades, retail warehousing, shopping centres and convenience-led mixed-use.
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Finance for buildings combining commercial ground floors with residential upper floors, the dominant deal format in UK secondary markets and the engine of corporate-acquired property activity.
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Hotel property finance for trading boutique hotels, branded operator-let assets and aparthotel acquisitions.
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HMO finance for houses in multiple occupation, from 4-bed student lets to large sui generis conversions.
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Student property finance across both markets: traditional student HMOs near campus and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) blocks.
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Care home finance for owner-operators and investors, from 20-bed residential homes to nursing and specialist dementia care.
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Founder & Principal Broker
With a career spanning Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland, and a partnership in a corporate finance business, Matt brings institutional-grade expertise to every deal in Cambridge. Currently a board advisor to a pension administrator and trustee with £3.9bn of assets under advisory, Matt has raised over £300m of capital for property professionals across the UK.
View Full ProfileWhat makes Cambridge fundable, where the development opportunity sits, which lenders are active, and the asset classes our team finances most often.
Cambridge presents development opportunities linked to North East Cambridge. Growing demand from the Life Sciences sector is creating opportunities for purpose-built commercial space and conversion projects. Strong transport links enhance viability for mixed-use and residential-led schemes.
Very strong appetite for all quality assets. Premium innovation location.
Broker Notes
Global life sciences hub commands specialist lender interest. Biomedical Campus £1bn+ expansion underway. North East Cambridge 8,000 homes planned. Science Park virtually nil vacancy. Institutional capital competing for assets.
Our team has extensive experience in Cambridgeshire property finance markets.
Commercial property news for Cambridge will appear here once available. Check back soon for the latest market updates.
We provide commercial mortgages, bridging finance, and development finance throughout Cambridgeshire.
Commercial mortgage services available across Cambridge and surrounding areas. View larger map
Recent sales, planning movement and market signals for Cambridge, drawn from HM Land Registry data and local authority planning registers.
266 relevant planning applications are awaiting decision with Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, proposing 595 units with an estimated gross development value of £275m.
Source: Greater Cambridge Shared Planning planning register
HM Land Registry data shows 293 commercial property transactions in the Cambridge area over the past 60 months, with a median sale price of £390k. Lender appetite tends to follow transaction evidence, so an active local market supports stronger valuations.
Source: HM Land Registry price paid data
HM Land Registry records the sale of Cambridge Grove Care Home, Cambridge Road, Fulbourn, Cambridge for £20,078,113 in Q4 2025, one of 3 commercial transactions recorded in the Cambridge area that quarter.
Source: HM Land Registry price paid data
Planning movement often signals upcoming finance demand. If you are buying, refinancing or developing in Cambridge, see our guide to getting a commercial mortgage or talk to us about the local market.
The questions we answer most often on Cambridge deals, covered in depth in our knowledge hub.
What lenders assess, who finds it easy, and how declined cases still get funded.
Deposit requirements by property type, acceptable sources, and ways to reduce yours.
The routes to 100% borrowing: additional security, strong trading businesses and equity.
High-street banks, challengers and specialists: who lends on what in Cambridgeshire.
Leniency by lender category and product type, and what flexibility really costs.
Typical 2026 pricing by product, and what drives the rate you are offered.
Data-grounded answers about commercial property finance in Cambridge, sourced from HM Land Registry transactions and our own deal flow.
HM Land Registry recorded 293 commercial property transactions in Cambridge during the most recent reporting window. The median commercial sale price is £390,000, with the middle 50% of deals between £279,000 and £580,000. Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (Category B records).
The median commercial sale price recorded by HM Land Registry in Cambridge is £390,000. Smaller end deals (lower quartile) sit around £279,000, while larger transactions (upper quartile) reach £580,000 and above. These are the figures lenders will benchmark valuations against when assessing a commercial mortgage application in Cambridge.
The most active commercial sectors in Cambridge (by recorded transaction count) are: land (11 transactions), retail (8 transactions), office (7 transactions). Sector mix matters because lender appetite, LTV ceilings and rate pricing all vary by use class. Speak to our team for an indicative quote on the sector you are targeting.
Yes. We arrange commercial mortgages, commercial bridging finance and development finance for property in Cambridge. Typical loan sizes range from £150,000 to £25m+, with LTVs up to 75% on standard commercial assets and up to 70% LTGDV on development. Whole-of-market access, including the high-street banks, challenger lenders and specialist commercial funders.
Call 07595 366094 or use the contact form to request a commercial mortgage quote in Cambridge. We will review the asset, sector, deal structure and lender appetite specific to Cambridge and come back with an indicative rate, LTV and term within 24 to 48 hours.