For many high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families, property finance is no longer an isolated transaction. It is part of a broader strategy that spans wealth preservation, estate planning, and intergenerational succession. Increasingly, those strategies are coordinated by family offices — either formal, multi-disciplinary institutions or informal structures managed by trusted advisers.

Yet while family offices bring expertise in investment, tax, and governance, they often face challenges when it comes to navigating the lending market. Lenders do not always align with the bespoke needs of wealthy families. Borrowing against property requires not only technical structuring but also the ability to balance liquidity needs with long-term planning. This is where specialist property finance advisers, working alongside family offices, play a vital role.

The Rise of Family Offices in UK Property Finance

Family offices have grown rapidly over the past decade, and in 2025 they are now central to many HNW property transactions. Once reserved for the ultra-wealthy, today even families with net worths in the tens of millions are formalising their affairs through single or multi-family offices. Property, being both a store of value and a source of income, typically sits at the core of their portfolios.

A family office may be tasked with acquiring new property assets, refinancing existing ones, or managing liquidity during estate transitions. In each case, the office must coordinate borrowing in a way that complements tax planning, investment strategies, and succession goals. Unlike an individual borrower, a family office is balancing multiple priorities, often across jurisdictions and currencies.

Why Property Finance Becomes Complex in Family Office Structures

The complexity arises not from lack of wealth, but from the interaction of wealth with structures. Properties may be owned in personal names, family trusts, companies, or offshore entities. Income may flow in multiple currencies. Beneficiaries may live in different jurisdictions, each with their own tax considerations.

Lenders, however, still underwrite deals in line with risk frameworks designed for clarity. They want to know who owns the property, who controls the borrower, how repayment will be serviced, and what security they can enforce. Family office structures often obscure these questions, at least on first glance. A deal that makes perfect sense to the office’s legal and tax advisers may look opaque to a credit committee.

That tension is why many family offices turn to brokers with private bank and specialist lender relationships. Without this expertise, deals risk stalling or failing at the point of execution.

Where Lending Intersects With Wealth Planning

To understand how property finance fits into family office strategies, it helps to consider the points of intersection.

One key area is inheritance and estate planning. Families may wish to refinance high-value assets to release liquidity for tax obligations or to equalise inheritances between heirs. This often requires coordination with life insurance strategies, such as those described in our recent article on Whole of Life Policies and Property Finance in 2025.

Another common theme is the need for liquidity during probate, where borrowing can bridge the gap between asset value and HMRC deadlines, as explored in Probate Finance in 2025: How Families and Executors Can Unlock Estate Value.

Another point of intersection is investment strategy. Family offices often acquire commercial or residential property as part of a diversified portfolio. Financing those acquisitions with debt can preserve liquidity for other investments, but it requires lenders who understand the bigger picture. Traditional high-street banks rarely have that breadth of view; private banks and specialist lenders are more aligned.

Case Study: Coordinating Lending With Broader Wealth Goals

Consider a UHNW family office overseeing assets across Europe and the Middle East. The family wishes to acquire a £25 million London property through a trust structure, while simultaneously restructuring borrowing on their existing residential portfolio. The transaction cannot be considered in isolation. Tax advisers are coordinating inheritance planning, lawyers are managing trust governance, and investment managers are balancing portfolio exposures.

The family office turns to a specialist broker. By mapping out lender appetite across private banks and specialist institutions, the broker identifies a private bank willing to extend a large mortgage at competitive rates, structured around foreign income streams. At the same time, a refinance of the existing portfolio is arranged with a specialist lender, releasing liquidity that can be deployed into other asset classes.

The key here is not just arranging two loans, but integrating them into the family’s overall wealth plan. The finance complements — rather than conflicts with — estate structures and investment goals.

Why Coordination Matters

Without coordination, property finance risks undermining wealth strategies. For example, a poorly structured mortgage could trigger unintended tax liabilities, complicate succession, or weaken estate planning. Alternatively, overly rigid lending terms could leave a family short of liquidity at critical moments, forcing them to dispose of assets prematurely.

By contrast, well-coordinated finance strengthens resilience. It ensures liquidity is available for tax, probate, or strategic investment, while preserving the family’s chosen ownership structures. It also allows family offices to leverage lender appetite to secure better terms, rather than accepting off-the-shelf products that do not fit their needs.

How Willow Can Help

At Willow Private Finance, we understand that family offices are not simply managing property transactions — they are orchestrating complex wealth strategies. Our role is to bring clarity to the lending side. With deep relationships across private banks, specialist lenders, and international institutions, we identify the partners best suited to each family’s structures and objectives.

We work closely with family office teams, tax advisers, and lawyers to ensure finance solutions integrate seamlessly with broader planning. Whether it is financing property held in trust, structuring liquidity around whole of life policies, or refinancing multi-jurisdictional portfolios, we provide the expertise and market access to make deals work.

Unlike mainstream brokers, we do not shy away from complexity. We see property finance as part of the bigger picture — a tool to support succession, protect legacies, and enable families to achieve long-term goals.



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