Why More Buyers Are Using Family Offices and Trusts in 2025

For high-net-worth individuals and families, owning property through a trust or family office has long been a strategic choice. In 2025, this approach is more relevant than ever — offering asset protection, tax efficiency, succession planning, and confidentiality.

Whether the property is a London pied-à-terre, a long-term investment, or a home for future generations, the structure used to purchase it has serious implications for borrowing, tax, and future saleability.

Key Benefits of Using a Trust or Family Office Structure

Clients exploring these structures are often looking to:

• Ring-fence property assets from personal liabilities
• Manage tax exposure across multiple jurisdictions
• Maintain privacy or protect vulnerable beneficiaries
• Align ownership with long-term family governance strategies
• Avoid forced sale or probate delays in succession planning

But while these benefits are real, they often create challenges when it comes to securing finance — particularly with mainstream lenders.

What Lenders Consider When Financing Through a Trust or Family Office

Lending against property held in a trust or family office is more nuanced. In 2025, lenders are increasingly open to these structures — but only when the right detail is provided. Key factors they evaluate include:

• Type of trust: e.g. discretionary, life interest, bare
• Jurisdiction of establishment: onshore vs offshore
• Control and beneficiaries: who directs decisions and receives benefit
• Income or asset backing: from within or outside the structure
• Compliance and legal opinions: especially for offshore SPVs or foundations

Private banks and specialist lenders tend to be most comfortable here, provided documentation is transparent and the structure has a clear rationale.

Common Issues That Delay or Derail Applications

Even experienced advisers can run into roadblocks when dealing with structured purchases. Common pitfalls include:

• No formal lending powers written into trust deeds
• Unclear beneficiary designations or power of attorney
• Inability to show a clear repayment strategy
• Tax residency conflicts between the borrower and structure
• Lack of legal support for cross-border elements

How Willow Private Finance Can Help

At Willow Private Finance, we regularly work with high-net-worth individuals, trustees, family office executives, and legal teams to deliver bespoke finance solutions for UK property purchases held in trust or through structured entities.

Our value lies in our ability to:

• Present trust or family office structures in a lender-friendly format
• Introduce private banks with experience in complex ownership
• Anticipate compliance queries before they become deal blockers
• Coordinate with solicitors and tax advisers to support a seamless outcome
• Secure lending even where income is retained or discretionary

Whether your goal is privacy, tax alignment, or multigenerational planning — we can help you secure the finance to make it happen.

📞 Want Help Navigating Today’s Market?

Book a free strategy call with one of our mortgage specialists.

We’ll help you find the smartest way forward — whatever structures or jurisdictions are involved.