The Acorn.finance Pub 90 program helps pub tenants become freeowners with 80-90% financing. After 30 years, we know how to turn your “hidden cash flow” into mortgage approval.
Paying £30,000-£40,000 annually in rent that could be a mortgage payment building your equity instead.
Forced to pay 20-30% premium on tied supplies while your margins shrink and competitors thrive on free-trade.
Can't improve your own pub without landlord permission. Every investment benefits them, not you.
The Truth?
Your profit and loss statement doesn’t show what you could earn as a freeowner. It shows what you earn despite paying rent and tie premiums.
For nearly 30 years, Acorn.finance has helped pub tenants achieve what high-street banks say is impossible: buying your freehold with minimal deposit through our Pub 90 program.
We don’t just look at your balance sheet. We reveal your hidden cash flow using the Add-Back Method:
We value your pub as an operating business with you as owner-operator, not as empty bricks and mortar. This reveals 15-25% more value.
We show lenders your true profit by adding back rent, tie premiums, and management fees that disappear when you own the freehold.
Secondary security, AOD brewery loans, intangible assets (your social media, customer database)—we find ways to bridge the gap.
The UK pub industry is undergoing its biggest structural shift in a generation. Major pub companies are under immense pressure to sell—and that creates rare opportunities for sitting tenants.
After the volatility of 2023-2024, rates have stabilised and begun descending into 2026.
What this means:
These aren’t hypothetical examples—they’re actual Pub 90 transactions that transformed sitting tenants into freeowners.
Purchase Price: £250,000
Funded by Acorn: £210,000
LTV: 84%
Deposit Required: £40,000
The Story:
Tom and Helen had operated The Lion in Suffolk since 2015. When COVID hit, they pivoted to takeaway and delivery, earning them CAMRA’s Lockdown Hero Award. As sitting tenants with 6-7 years of proven resilience, they wanted to own their future.
The Add-Backs:
The Result:
Monthly costs decreased by £725+ while building equity. Tom and Helen now invest in their micro brewery plans and letting rooms—building their own asset, not their landlord’s.
Purchase Price: £320,000
Funded by Acorn: £264,000
LTV: 82%
Deposit Required: £56,000
The Story:
Dan had successfully run The Red Lion for nearly a decade when Admiral Taverns made the freehold available. His unique “Build a Pie” menu (35,000 combinations!) demonstrated strong business acumen and customer loyalty.
The Add-Backs:
The Result:
Monthly costs improved by over £167 before accounting for better margins through free-trade purchasing. Dan now controls his destiny—no more rent reviews, no more asking permission to improve his own business.
Purchase Price: £460,000
Funded by Acorn: £440,000
Effective LTV: 95%+
Cash Deposit: £20,000 (just 4.3%)
The Challenge:
A long-term tenant was offered the freehold for £460,000. High-street banks would only lend 65% of vacant value, requiring £161,000 deposit—completely out of reach.
The Acorn Solution:
The Add-Backs:
The Result:
What looked impossible to high-street banks became straightforward. The client now pays £32,000/year in mortgage costs versus £38,000 in rent alone—that’s a £20,000+ annual improvement before the £14,000 in tie savings.
Quote: “If I had gone to my high-street bank, I’d still be a tenant. Acorn saw the value in what I had built over the last five years, not just the value of the walls.”
15-minute conversation about your situation. We'll perform a preliminary add-back calculation and show you what you can afford.
We help you gather accounts, tie evidence, and commission a married value valuation with specialist pub surveyors.
We structure your case for maximum impact, present to specialist lenders who understand pub finance, and secure your approval.
Legal process and completion. You're now a freeowner building equity in your own asset.
Timeline:
Most Pub 90 applications complete within 12-16 weeks from initial assessment to completion, depending on complexity.
Yes! Most of our Pub 90 clients put down 10-20%, not the traditional 25-40%. Through married value, add-backs, and creative solutions (secondary security, AOD loans, intangible assets), we can often achieve 80-90% LTV.
Our highest ever LTV was over 95% with just £20,000 cash deposit on a £460,000 purchase.
This is exactly why we exist. Your accounts don’t show your true profit—they show what you earn despite paying rent and tie premiums.
Through the add-back method, we reveal your hidden cash flow. A business showing £11,000 profit as a tenant often shows £37,000+ profit as a freeowner. Lenders accept add-backs when properly documented.
Ideally we look for 2+ years for the best rates and highest LTVs. However, we still have solutions for shorter trading histories, particularly if you have:
Don’t let shorter tenure stop you from enquiring.
In the current climate (2026), most PubCos are actively seeking tenant buyouts to de-leverage. Stonegate alone is selling 1,000+ sites.
Even if your pub isn’t officially listed, we can help you structure an approach. PubCos that wouldn’t talk two years ago are now receptive to sensible offers.
You can always leave that offer “on the table” while they think about it!
Your lease continues until completion. However, once you complete:
The April 2026 revaluation presents challenges, but freeownership still makes sense because:
Most importantly: even with rates included, your total property costs as an owner are typically lower than rent as a tenant.
The current wave of pub company divestments isn’t random—it’s the inevitable conclusion of a 35-year cycle that began with The Beer Orders of 1989.
The 1980s: The Big Six Monopoly
Before 1989, six large brewers (Bass, Allied, Grand Met, Whitbread, Courage, Scottish & Newcastle) controlled over 75% of UK pubs. They owned the pubs, brewed the beer, and forced tenants to buy only their products at inflated prices.
The Beer Orders (1989): Breaking the Monopoly
The Monopolies and Mergers Commission forced the “Big Six” to either:
The Unintended Consequence: Rise of PubCos
Rather than creating competition, the Beer Orders spawned a new breed: PubCos (pub companies that owned estates but didn’t brew). These companies bought up the divested pubs using massive debt.
The 1990s-2000s: Debt-Fuelled Expansion
Companies like Punch, Enterprise Inns, and others acquired thousands of pubs using leveraged buyouts. At the peak, some PubCos were carrying debt worth more than the value of their entire estate.
The 2008 Crash: The Beginning of the End
When property values collapsed and interest rates rose, over-leveraged PubCos couldn’t service their debt. Punch Taverns alone had £3+ billion in debt. Pubs were closed, sold, or run into the ground.
2010s: Consolidation & Survival Mode
PubCos like Punch and Spirit were acquired or merged. Stonegate (backed by TDR Capital) became the UK’s largest operator by acquiring Ei Group (formerly Enterprise Inns) and others.
2020-2026: The Great Divestment
COVID accelerated the crisis. Now, with:
PubCos are finally doing what they should have done years ago: selling pubs to reduce debt. The difference now? They’re actively seeking tenant buyouts because sitting tenants are the lowest-risk buyers.
What This Means for You:
The 35-year debt cycle is unwinding. The PubCos that wouldn’t sell two years ago are now desperate for capital. This creates a rare window where previously “unsellable” freeholds are coming to market—and where tenants have genuine negotiating power.
The time to act is now, before the best opportunities are gone.
If you’re a pub tenant who’s been trading successfully and you want to own your freehold, we will find a way to make it work—if it’s financially sound to do so.
We don’t succeed unless you succeed. Your success as a freeowner is our reputation.
From 75% to 95% LTV depending on your circumstances.
Every day you remain a tenant is another day you’re enriching someone else. The Great PubCo Divestment won’t last forever.
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Not all financial products we arrange are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. For more information discuss with your broker or contact us.
We are a UK-based brokerage established in 1997 and are not affiliated with any other entity trading as Acorn Finance in the US or historically in the UK.
