Concrete construction covers a wide span of post-war housing — precast panels, cast in-situ concrete and system-built homes — and most of it is mortgageable with a far broader range of lenders than its reputation suggests. The construction type determines the lender, and the lender determines how the case runs.
Key facts
- What counts as concrete construction: precast concrete, cast in-situ concrete and system-built homes such as prefabs — largely post-war stock, often concentrated in estates where most of the housing shares the same construction type.
- Lender appetite: a large number of lenders accept non-designated concrete construction, and more are adding it to their panels. These are mainstream lenders, not distressed-asset specialists.
- Pricing: on accepted concrete types, rates are not far from what you would see on the high street, and criteria and products are broadly similar. Rates move with the market — we quote against your actual case.
- Loan to value: deposit requirements generally mirror standard construction, though some lenders apply loan-to-value restrictions depending on the property and the circumstances.
- What lenders ask for: confirmation of the exact construction type, reports on the building and, for flats, the ownership profile of the block.
- The exception: designated-defective PRC types are a different market with repair and certification requirements of their own — covered below.
Which concrete properties lenders will mortgage
The distinction that matters is between non-designated concrete construction and the precast reinforced concrete (PRC) types designated as defective under housing legislation. For non-designated stock — and for properties where remedial work has been completed and certified to current standards — lender choice is wide and the process is close to a conventional application. Repaired and certified properties can be slightly more appealing to lenders, though the majority are comfortable in any case.
Designated PRC types are specialist territory, with a smaller lender pool and their own repair and certification requirements. For Airey, Cornish, Wates and other designated PRC types, see our PRC construction mortgage guide.
Every concrete case starts with establishing precisely what the building is. Lenders will want reports confirming the construction type, the condition of the structure and where the property sits — and for a flat in a former local-authority block, the proportion of the block in private ownership versus council ownership. Getting that evidence assembled before application, rather than during it, is most of the work.
Who this is for
- Portfolio landlords and investors buying or refinancing concrete stock — including ex-council houses bought for yield — whether held personally or through a limited company.
- Buyers of individual concrete properties, including ex-local-authority houses and flats, who want the case placed with a lender comfortable from the outset.
- Owners of repaired concrete properties refinancing on the strength of completed and certified remedial work.
The investment case for concrete stock
Nobody builds houses this way any more, so concrete properties are almost all older stock, concentrated in post-war estates and typically in lower-value areas. That is precisely what makes them interesting to a portfolio buyer: the entry price sits below comparable traditional housing, the structures are solid, with good sound insulation — though thermal performance is often the weak point of post-war concrete stock, which is exactly why the EPC position belongs in your appraisal. Lower capital cost against ordinary local rents is the basis of the yield argument — and ex-council concrete houses are entirely financeable; the construction simply changes which lender we use.
Two portfolio-specific points deserve attention. First, lender exposure: where an estate is dominated by one construction type, an individual lender may already hold as much of it as it wants. Buying several units on the same estate means spreading the lending deliberately — a panel-breadth question as much as a pricing one. Second, energy performance: with EPC C required for private rented sector lettings by 2030, the energy assessment and any upgrade costs belong in your appraisal before purchase, not after completion.
The honest disadvantages are the ones the market already prices in: not every lender will take every property, loan-to-value restrictions can apply, and some construction types can be prone to structural problems depending on how and when they were built. None of that is a reason to avoid the stock; it is a reason to place the finance properly.
Costs, valuation and what to expect
On accepted concrete types, the economics look familiar. The lenders involved are not pricing these as specialist risk, so rates should not be too different from the wider market, products and criteria should be very similar, and deposit requirements should be the same as for standard construction. Where a lender does restrict loan to value, it is usually driven by the specific property or the wider circumstances of the case rather than concrete construction in itself.
Expect the valuation stage to carry more weight than on a conventional purchase. The surveyor's confirmation of construction type and condition is what the lending decision rests on, and where remedial work has been done, the certification evidencing it should be in the application pack from the outset.
The process
- Enquiry. You tell us about the property, the construction type as far as you know it, and how the purchase fits your portfolio.
- Construction check. We establish exactly what the building is — and whether it is non-designated, repaired and certified, or designated PRC.
- Lender match. We steer away from lenders who will decline the type or are overexposed in the area before the application goes in, not after.
- Valuation and reports. The surveyor confirms construction and condition; any repair certification is presented alongside.
- Completion. We present the case so the lender sees its strengths, and manage it through to completion.
Frequently asked questions
Is it harder to get a mortgage on a concrete house?
It can be a little more challenging than standard construction, but the difference is lender choice rather than availability. A large number of lenders accept non-designated concrete construction, and more are adding it to their panels.
Can I get a mortgage on an ex-council concrete house or flat?
Yes — ex-council concrete houses are fine for a mortgage; the construction simply changes which lender we use. Flats carry extra questions, principally how much of the block is privately owned versus council owned, and lenders will want reports on the building and its exact construction type.
Will I pay a higher rate or need a bigger deposit?
Generally no. The lenders who accept concrete construction are not pricing it as specialist risk, so rates, criteria and deposit requirements should be very similar to standard construction. Some lenders apply loan-to-value restrictions depending on the property and the circumstances — a placement question we resolve before applying.
Are repaired or refurbished concrete properties easier to mortgage?
They can be slightly more appealing to lenders, particularly where remedial work has brought the property up to current standards and is properly certified. In practice the majority of lenders are comfortable with accepted concrete types either way.
Why are concrete properties often cheaper than traditional builds?
Because they are no longer built, they are almost all older stock, and they sit in large developments of similar construction in lower-value areas. For an investor that tends to mean good value for money at the point of entry — provided the construction type, condition and energy performance are checked before purchase.
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