Where do you want to
live and work?
High-street banks see one building doing two jobs and don't know what to value. We do. Enter your postcode or street address to see eligible live/work zones and begin your underwriting journey.
Your building does two jobs.
So does your valuation.
Adjust the sliders to match your property. Watch how affordability shifts as you blend residential and commercial income — the way a specialist lender actually calculates it.
Most high-street lenders will not touch a property where commercial use exceeds 30%. Specialist lenders — the ones we work with — underwrite up to 60% commercial by floor area.
The ground-floor café earns rent. The upper-floor flat earns rest. We value both halves separately, then argue the blended case to the lender who understands E-class zoning.
The bank said no.
We found the yes.
Three real funded cases. Names changed, numbers accurate. Each one was a standard refusal until we reframed the underwriting story.
Printworks to Architecture Studio + Home
Marcus, a sole-practitioner architect, purchased a former printworks with planning consent for mixed-use. Three high-street banks declined citing commercial percentage. We secured funding on a blended income basis — his PAYE salary, studio fees, and projected rental from the ground-floor gallery.
Ground-Floor Café, Upper-Floor Residence
Priya and Tom ran a specialty coffee shop below and lived above for five years as tenants. When the freehold came to market, their bank saw the lease income as a liability, not an asset. We presented the commercial income as an affordability enhancer — reducing their effective borrowing cost by £680/month.
Photographer's Live/Work Studio
Chidera's photography studio and home occupied equal floor space — a perfect 50/50 split that mainstream lenders categorically refused. We found a specialist lender with a bespoke live/work product, secured on both the commercial and residential portions with a single charge.
Every case above was declined by at least one high-street lender before reaching us. The property hadn't changed. The presentation had.
Start Your Case →One threshold.
Two lives unlocked.
Tell us about your property in four fields. We'll come back within one working day with a rate indication and a list of lenders who will consider your specific case.
Download the Live/Work Lending Guide — 28 pages covering use classes, income blending, and how to prepare your case.