Warehouse & industrial mortgages.
Warehouses, light industrial, flex space and strata bays across BC and Alberta — investment or owner-occupied, from a single bay to a distribution building.
Industrial is the asset class everyone wants and few underwrite well. Lenders love the fundamentals — scarce land, low vacancy, durable demand — but every file runs the same gauntlet: an appraisal that credits generic functionality over your specialized fit-out, and an environmental review that can stall a clean approval over what a previous owner did decades ago. Our job is to package the building's utility, get ahead of the environmental story, and — for owner-users — put your company's cash flow to work so rent becomes equity.
From a single strata bay to a distribution building.
Storage, logistics and distribution buildings — single-tenant or multi-bay.
Production, assembly and service space, often with showroom or office components.
Individual strata units — the entry point for owner-users across Metro Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
The building your company manufactures or operates from — underwritten on the business plus the property.
Multi-tenant industrial held for income — small-bay is among the most sought-after commercial stock.
Cranes, heavy power, coolers, wash bays and yards — features generic lenders struggle to value.
Repricing a maturing loan, or unlocking equity from a building your business already owns.
Vacancy, conversion, or an urgent close funded short-term, refinanced at stabilization.
Oilfield service shops and yards have their own dedicated page — oilfield shop & yard mortgages.
Three ways to fund an industrial property.
Investment, owner-occupied, or bridge — we size every file against all three lanes before recommending one.
The core lane for investment industrial. Functionality drives value: ceiling height, loading, power, and yard — an appraiser's view of who else could use the building matters as much as who's in it today.
Rent becomes equity: the lender blends your company's cash flow with the real estate so a growing operator can own its building instead of paying a landlord's mortgage.
Industrial's most common private trigger is environmental: a Phase II under way, or historic contamination being remediated. Private capital carries the property through; conventional refinances it once the file is clean.
Rates, ratios, and leverage are typical ranges for illustration — last reviewed July 2026 — and depend on the asset, the sponsor, and market conditions. Run the numbers with our commercial mortgage payment calculator and rent-vs-own-your-shop calculator, then we confirm your file's numbers in writing.
Files like yours.
Common industrial-financing questions.
How much down payment do I need for an industrial building or warehouse?+
Investment industrial typically finances to 65% of value — roughly 35% down. Owner-occupied premises reach about 75%, and on qualifying owner-occupied deals the federal CSBFP/small-business program can finance up to 100% of eligible costs, though it's dollar-capped (real-property term loans max at $1,000,000 within a $1,150,000 per-borrower limit) rather than percentage-based.
What do lenders look at on an industrial property?+
Functionality first: clear ceiling height, dock and grade loading, power service, column spacing, truck access, and yard. A building that works for many users is easy to lend on; a building purpose-built around one company's process gets a harder look — the lender is quietly asking who'd occupy it next.
Why is environmental review such a big deal on industrial files?+
Because the site's history follows the title. Industrial properties carry the highest environmental scrutiny of any asset class — a Phase I is effectively universal, and past uses like fuel storage, plating, or solvents commonly trigger a Phase II investigation. Unresolved findings stall conventional lenders entirely, which is when private capital bridges the file through remediation.
Can my company buy the building it operates from?+
Yes — that's the owner-occupied lane, typically when your business occupies the majority of the space. The lender underwrites your company's cash flow together with the property, leverage runs stronger than investment industrial, and your rent payment starts building your own equity instead of your landlord's.
How are industrial strata bays financed?+
Like commercial condos: the lender reviews the strata corporation's finances and bylaws alongside your covenant, and use restrictions matter — a bylaw that blocks your operation blocks the loan. Strata bays are the standard entry point for owner-users, and lender appetite varies enough that shopping the file makes a visible difference.
Do cranes, heavy power, and coolers add lending value?+
Less than they cost — most lenders value the shell and location, treating specialized improvements conservatively because the next tenant may not need them. Expect the appraisal to credit generic functionality more than process-specific fit-out, and plan equity accordingly.
What happens if the building is vacant when I buy it?+
Conventional lenders underwrite in-place income, so a vacant investment building usually means a bridge first: private or short-term capital against the property's value while you secure a tenant (or move your own business in), then a refinance once income is in place.
How long does an industrial mortgage take to close?+
Plan on 45–75 days conventional — environmental review is usually the critical path on industrial — and 10–25 days for a private bridge with an appraisal in hand.
Financing an industrial property? Have these ready.
On industrial, the environmental story and the building specs set the pace — get both on the table on day one.
- Building specs — clear ceiling height, loading doors (dock vs grade), power service, bay sizes
- Leases with terms and renewal options, or your own company's occupancy plan
- Operating statements for the property, last 2 years
- Business financial statements (owner-occupied) — last 2 years
- T1s/T2s and Notices of Assessment for all sponsors
- Personal net-worth statement per sponsor
- Environmental Phase I — and any prior Phase II or remediation records; industrial sites are the highest-scrutiny asset class
- Yard details — fencing, paving or gravel, storage use, and any fuel tanks
- Purchase contract or existing mortgage payout statement
Have a building in mind? Score it first.
Tell us about the property — specs, tenancy or your own occupancy plan, and the site's history — and we'll tell you which lane fits before you spend a dollar on reports.