I work full time as a floorsanderer and want to buy a houseboat to rent out. I have a 50k caravan that I could sell for a deposit & about 10-20k in savings. I need about 250k all up for the boat. No house as security. Can any1 help? I expect 50k+ income

It would need a really good negotiator (broker) to sell a bank on a houseboat. Here's the main issue. Is the berth freehold? Doubt it. Are there restrictions on resale of the berth? Probably. The asset isn't really the houseboat, the asset of value is the parking spot it sits in. Perhaps as a chattel lease, much like buying a recreational boat but that'll be expensive finance for a primary residence. Banks do lend on leasehold but usually perpetual leasehold for buying residences. The positives are there is an income stream so talk to a good mortgage or even a commercial broker and find out if any lender has an appetite for this deal. Good luck.

Hi Adrian, a tricky one. The answer is potentially, without going in to more detail about your situation its hard to say. The most relevant point is for you to realise that it may be a 20% return minus costs on the boat however any lender that may take it on wouldn't be cheap either... so it may not be as profitable as you think. Happy to discuss.

Regards Ariel

Try getting in touch with a commercial lender who does equipment and vehicle finance as well, that's a good place to start.