Buying to convert
You're buying an office, shop or mixed-use building to convert
Sectors: Commercial-to-residential & Class MA
Know your maximum bid before you offer on a commercial building.
A chartered QS who has converted commercial buildings himself checks whether it can convert, prices the works and tells you what you can afford to pay.
Who it's for
Raising finance
You're already under offer and need development finance
Holding a building
You hold a building and are deciding whether conversion stacks up
How we help
Bid Check
Class MA screening, conversion costs and a maximum bid in 3 working days. From £750 + VAT.
Funding-Ready
A lender-format cost plan, cashflow and appraisal for your finance application. From £2,450 + VAT.
Feasibility & viability
Early cost advice, development appraisals and viability.
Class MA & conversions
How Class MA works, prior approval and what usually goes wrong.
Where budgets break
- Eligibility: the building fails a Class MA test you only find out about after you've paid fees.
- Prior approval: transport, flooding, contamination, noise and natural light can all affect what's approved.
- Hidden works: fire separation, acoustic upgrades, new services and drainage rarely appear in a walk-round quote.
- Space standards: flats must meet national space standards, which can cut the unit count you assumed.
- Finance: interest, fees and SDLT eat the profit a simple spreadsheet shows.
- Delay: a three-month slip between purchase and start can move a deal from profit to loss.
Other sectors we work in: Residential development · Retail & restaurants · Commercial & mixed-use · All sectors
Case study
13–15 Boult Street, Reading
Founder's own scheme; appraisal prepared retrospectively
£415k
maximum bid
£350k
price paid
£72/ft²
conversion cost
33.8%
profit on cost