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London · Q3 2026 data

Business funding in Ilford

Ilford has 22,897 trading companies. 2,611 of them (11.4%) have secured borrowing registered at Companies House, below London at 12.3% and the UK at 14.0%.

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22,897trading companies
11.4%have secured borrowing
1,445new companies in Q3 2026
3.8%late filing accounts

How Ilford's sectors borrow

The biggest sectors in Ilford, and the share of companies in each with a lender's charge registered against them. Real estate & lettings borrows most against its assets here, at 45%.

Real estate & lettings4,339 companies
45%
Retail3,320 companies
4%
Construction & trades2,423 companies
2%
Professional services1,876 companies
2%
Tech, media & telecoms1,788 companies
1%
Restaurants, pubs & cafes1,139 companies
4%
Business support services1,086 companies
3%
Wholesale & distribution1,049 companies
4%

Older businesses borrow more

Lenders like a track record. In Ilford, the share of companies with secured borrowing climbs with age, which is why a young business often starts with asset finance or a smaller unsecured loan.

Under 2 years8,632 companies
4%
2 to 5 years5,045 companies
12%
5 to 10 years5,067 companies
18%
10 to 20 years3,417 companies
15%
Over 20 years736 companies
38%

Who's lending in London

The 1,665 new lender charges we tracked against London companies in Q3 2026, by type of lender. Property, bridging & buy-to-let made up the largest share, as most mortgages on company-owned property are registered as charges.

Property, bridging & buy-to-let
51%
Specialist & alternative lenders
13%
Banks
9%
Asset finance
2%
Invoice finance
0%

Funding that fits Ilford businesses

Plain-English guides to the kinds of funding that suit Ilford's biggest sectors.

Elsewhere in London

Source: every live company on the Companies House register at 2026-10-01, analysed by DueLead for its Q3 2026 Pulse report on Ilford. "Secured borrowing" means at least one outstanding charge, a lender's security registered at Companies House, so unsecured loans and overdrafts don't show. Trading companies means active limited companies, LLPs and PLCs, excluding dormant companies, financial services firms and public bodies. Sole traders aren't on the register, so they aren't counted.