Aria in Action
When you're dealing with a semi-commercial property sold by receivers and a Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) asset with title restrictions, a standard mortgage just won’t do. That’s exactly where Aria Finance stepped in.
In this latest Aria in Action story, discover how we supported experienced portfolio landlords with a bespoke £11.6 million solution: while navigating legal and planning challenges, restrictive covenants, and asset-specific complexities all under a single structured deal.
Our clients were well-established portfolio landlords with extensive experience in both development and asset management. They had a clear objective: to acquire a semi-commercial asset and refinance a PBSA building but the deal was far from straightforward.
The semi-commercial property came with legacy issues. Previous owners had carried out unauthorised extensions, and the asset was being sold by receivers, adding significant legal and financial complexity.
Meanwhile, the PBSA faced its own roadblocks. A restrictive title condition meant it couldn’t be remortgaged or let to non-students severely limiting its perceived value. To make things even more complex, the building also included a small commercial unit on the ground floor.
Structuring a mortgage around these issues required more than just product knowledge it needed lateral thinking and a lender with the right mindset.
Aria in Action
Aria Finance identified a lender with both a flexible risk appetite and a practical approach to complex cases. We brought senior stakeholders into the conversation early, laying the groundwork for a transparent, proactive deal process.
To address the semi-commercial complications, we provided the lender with a clear picture of the clients' development credentials. We also negotiated a retention from the loan to mitigate risk around the non-compliant extension, a move that reassured the lender and kept the deal moving. Planning approval was secured just one month after drawdown, releasing the retention promptly.
For the PBSA, we found a path through the title restriction by demonstrating it could be lifted within a specific timeframe and crucially, this was within the loan term. That gave us the leverage to negotiate a pre-agreed rate reduction once the restriction was removed, locking in future savings for the client. With income from both assets comfortably covering serviceability, we secured residential-style pricing, despite the mixed-use nature of the properties.
This enabled us to deliver a £11.6M, 75% LTV mortgage over five years carefully structured to mitigate risk, maximise flexibility, and reduce long-term costs.
The solution wasn’t off-the-shelf. It was the result of early collaboration, detailed planning, and expert communication with all parties especially the lender’s credit team and legal advisors.
This is what specialist finance looks like at its best: tailored, transparent, and strategically delivered.
