Property finance that works with the family balance sheet.
Independent advice for family offices, principals, trustees and professional advisers arranging UK and cross-border property debt. We connect the facility to ownership, liquidity, governance, investment strategy and the intended exit.
What should the borrowing make possible?
Family office debt is rarely just a mortgage. It may protect liquidity, accelerate an acquisition, rebalance a portfolio or separate a short-term need from a long-term asset strategy.
Purchase a prime or strategic asset
Match certainty, holding structure and long-term cost to a fixed acquisition timetable.
Explore the finance map → Release liquidityBorrow against unencumbered property
Create deployable capital without selling a long-held or strategically important asset.
Model portfolio leverage → RestructureConsolidate or refinance a portfolio
Coordinate maturities, security, cash flow and covenant headroom across the estate.
Compare lending routes → DevelopFund development or commercial opportunity
Build a capital stack around cost, value, delivery milestones and the exit facility.
See lender evidence → StructureBorrow through a trust, company or family office
Align credit requirements with powers, guarantees, beneficial ownership and governance.
Prepare the credit file → Preserve investmentsUse portfolio-backed liquidity
Compare property debt with Lombard or securities-backed borrowing—without hiding market risk.
Understand the trade-offs →One transaction. Six connected decisions.
A lender sees the application. A family office must see how the facility interacts with the entire balance sheet and governance framework.
Select the structure that deserves the first conversation.
The cheapest headline rate can become the wrong facility once asset-transfer requirements, speed, covenants, volatility and the exit are considered.
See the portfolio effect before discussing a facility.
Model current and post-facility LTV, interest coverage, annual cost, equity retained and a simple rate-stress scenario. Figures are illustrative, not credit approval.
Enter consolidated property figures. This tool does not model taxes, fees, security haircuts, foreign exchange, lender covenants, investment volatility or entity-specific cash flows.
Measured leverage with visible headroom.
The LTV bands are explanatory only. A lender will assess each asset, borrower, income source, jurisdiction, covenant package and exit independently.
Turn complexity into a credit narrative.
A strong submission does not remove complexity. It makes ownership, authority, cash flow, risk and repayment easy for a credit committee to understand.
Willow can work alongside the family office, solicitor, accountant, tax adviser, trustee, investment manager and selling agent. Regulated mortgage advice remains separate from legal, tax and investment advice.
From family objective to controlled execution.
The lender receives a coherent case. The family office retains visibility over the trade-offs, dependencies and timetable.
Diagnose the balance sheet
Clarify purpose, assets, liabilities, ownership, cash flows, jurisdictions and the non-negotiables.
Design the capital structure
Compare property-backed, private bank, specialist, bridge, development and investment-backed routes.
Curate lender engagement
Approach the institutions whose credit appetite fits the case, with a controlled information process.
Coordinate execution
Manage valuation, legal, compliance, credit conditions and drawdown across the professional team.
Keep the exit visible
Monitor maturity, covenant headroom, refinancing windows and changing family priorities.
Research the issue shaping your decision.
Filter Willow’s curated family office library by strategic scenario, resource type and keyword—from ownership structures and portfolio leverage to private banks, investment-backed liquidity and cross-border finance.
1 · Choose the family office scenario
2 · Resource type
Questions family offices ask before approaching lenders.
Credit appetite varies by lender, asset, structure and jurisdiction. These answers provide a starting framework.
Can a family office, trust or family investment company borrow directly?
Potentially. The answer depends on the entity’s powers, jurisdiction, beneficial ownership, tax position, guarantees and lender appetite. Legal and tax advisers should confirm suitability before any structure is adopted.
Do private banks always require assets under management?
No, but many require or prefer a wider relationship. The amount, eligible assets, timing, fees and consequences of moving or withdrawing assets should be understood alongside the mortgage terms.
Can debt be arranged against an unencumbered portfolio rather than one property?
Yes. Some lenders can use multiple assets under one facility. This may improve flexibility, but cross-collateralisation, release mechanics and concentration risk need careful review.
How do lenders assess a family office with limited conventional income?
They may examine recurring property income, investment income, business cash flow, liquidity, net worth and repayment strategy. Asset strength alone does not remove the need for credible servicing and exit evidence.
Can international assets or income support UK property finance?
Often, subject to jurisdiction, currency, tax residence, source of wealth, evidence quality and lender policy. The strongest submission explains how overseas wealth connects to UK servicing and repayment.
Should we use property debt or securities-backed lending?
The answer depends on duration, cost, eligible investments, market volatility, liquidity buffer and desired security. They can also be combined, provided total leverage and cross-facility risks are clear.
What is a sensible family office portfolio LTV?
There is no universal number. Asset quality, income, diversification, liquidity, interest cover and risk tolerance matter. The modeller on this page shows arithmetic, not an appropriate borrowing recommendation.
How early should Willow become involved?
Ideally before the purchase vehicle, lender route or timetable is fixed. Early involvement allows the funding strategy to be coordinated with legal, tax, trust and investment advice.
Can Willow work with our existing private bank and advisers?
Yes. The role can include benchmarking an incumbent bank, sourcing alternatives and coordinating the finance workstream with the wider professional team.
Is family office property finance regulated?
It depends on the borrower, property use and facility. Some residential mortgages are regulated; many commercial, buy-to-let, bridging and development facilities are not. Willow will explain the relevant status for the proposed transaction.
Bring us the objective, the structure and the deadline.
We will help turn the wider position into a clear lending strategy—without forcing a complex family balance sheet into a standard mortgage process.
You do not need every document ready for the first confidential conversation.
Keep sensitive information secure.
Do not send identification, bank statements, portfolio statements or other sensitive documents by ordinary email or WhatsApp. Willow will explain how to share documents securely.