Commercial Bridging
Built for Speed and Flexibility
Our streamlined commercial bridging loans provide fast, flexible funding for time-sensitive transactions, including commercial purchases, refinances, refurbishments, and bridging the gap between acquiring a new asset and securing longer-term finance or completing a sale.
Contact one of our team below to see if you or your client are eligible for this product.
Auction Bridging Loan Criteria
A Guide to Commercial Bridging Loans
We specialise in Commercial Bridging Loans, offering fast, flexible funding to reduce delays and provide certainty for business-critical transactions, using streamlined underwriting and valuation approaches where appropriate.
This enables us to deliver efficient financing for commercial purchases, refinances, refurbishments, and re-bridges across retail, office, industrial, and mixed-use assets, allowing borrowers to proceed with confidence and clarity.
How do Commercial Bridging Loans work?
Commercial bridging loans provide short-term funding secured against commercial or mixed-use property, allowing you to complete a purchase, refinance existing debt, or release capital while longer-term finance or a sale is arranged.
Once you submit an enquiry, our underwriters will review the property, your exit strategy, and the overall risk profile of the transaction. Where appropriate, we use desktop, internal, or automated valuation methods to reduce costs and speed up the approval process.
If the proposal is suitable, we will issue a credit-approved offer outlining the loan amount, interest rate, term, and fees. Once legal due diligence and any valuation requirements are completed, funds can be released, often within days rather than months.
At the end of the term, the loan is repaid either through a refinance onto a long-term facility or the sale of the property. Commercial Bridging loans provide capital quickly without the unnecessary delays or red tape of term finance.
Commercial Bridging Loan Options:
Commercial Property Purchases:
Fast, short-term funding to acquire commercial or mixed-use property where speed is critical, including auction purchases, off-market deals, and transactions with tight completion deadlines.
Commercial Refinances & Re-Bridges:
Short-term facilities to refinance existing commercial borrowing, repay maturing loans, or move away from a current lender while a longer-term solution is arranged.
Capital Raising:
Release equity from commercial assets to support business growth, acquisitions, tax liabilities, shareholder exits, or working capital requirements.
Refurbishment & Value-Add Projects:
Funding for light to medium refurbishment works to improve rental income, tenant quality, or asset value ahead of sale or refinance.
Mixed-Use Properties:
Bridging finance secured against assets with both commercial and residential elements, including retail with flats above, offices with residential units, and similar hybrid properties.
Projected Income:
Projected rental or trading income can be considered, including for newly formed limited companies, where income forecasts are supported by market evidence, a clear business plan, and a credible exit strategy.
Case Study 1: South London
Background of the deal:
The client required urgent bridging finance secured against a part single, part two-storey detached vehicle showroom. We completed using a no-valuation structure, meeting a tight 10-working-day deadline to fund an onward purchase following exchange of contracts.
0.89%
Per Month
10
Months
50%
LTV
£700k
Loan
What is a commercial bridging loan?
A Commercial Bridging Loan is a short-term property finance solution designed to provide fast, flexible funding secured against commercial or mixed-use property, allowing borrowers to complete transactions while longer-term finance or a sale is being arranged.
Instead of relying on the slower timescales associated with traditional commercial mortgages, commercial bridging loans are underwritten for speed and execution. Lenders assess the property, income profile (or future income profile), and exit strategy to provide rapid credit approval, enabling transactions to complete in days rather than weeks.
Commercial bridging finance is commonly used for purchases, refinances, re-bridges, capital raising, and refurbishment projects across assets such as retail units, offices, warehouses, industrial property, and mixed-use buildings. It is particularly suited to auction purchases, distressed sales, or situations where timing and certainty are critical.
Depending on the transaction, the lender will review property details, tenancy information where applicable, photographs, and market evidence to assess the asset and structure a facility that supports a clear and realistic exit strategy.
Rental Income & Interest Options
Commercial bridging loans can be structured with interest either retained or serviced, depending on the property type, tenancy profile, rental income, and overall risk of the transaction.
Where a commercial or mixed-use property is income producing, the rental income can often be used to service the monthly interest, reducing the amount of interest added to the loan and lowering the overall cost of borrowing. This structure is commonly used for tenanted offices, retail units, warehouses, and mixed-use buildings with stable, provable rental income.
In many cases, commercial properties are purchased vacant or with short-term leases in place, meaning they do not meet the affordability or income coverage requirements for a traditional commercial mortgage. Bridging finance allows borrowers to acquire or refinance these assets, carry out refurbishment or leasing works, stabilise the rental income, and then refinance onto long-term commercial funding once the property is fully let and income producing.
Where a property is vacant, undergoing refurbishment, or not yet generating sufficient rental income, interest can be retained and added to the loan from the outset. This removes the need for monthly payments during the term, allowing borrowers to focus on asset management, letting, or value creation while maintaining a clear and structured exit strategy.
Our underwriters assess the rental income, lease profile, and exit strategy for every transaction to determine the most appropriate interest structure, ensuring each commercial bridging loan is aligned with the cash flow and long-term objectives of the property.
Our Process
Simple. Fast. Straightforward.
Get a quote
Discuss your requirements with our team for a tailored quote, or apply online for a fast decision.
Submission
Following receipt of your application, we’ll request the necessary information to assess affordability and suitability for the product.
Once confirmed, we’ll approve your application and valuation type on the same day.
Legal & Valuation
Once valuations and legal requirements are complete, we’ll provide a formal offer for your review before funding your loan.
Commercial Bridging Benefits
Commercial bridging loans are built for business owners, investors, and semi-professional borrowers who need flexibility that high street lenders simply do not provide.
They are well suited to individuals, limited companies, overseas structures, Channel Islands entities, trusts and non-UK residents, where traditional commercial banks often struggle with ownership, income, or residency requirements, even when the property itself is strong.
Because decisions are driven by the asset and the exit strategy, commercial bridging finance is ideal when speed matters, whether that is for an auction purchase, a time-critical acquisition, rebridging or a refinance that cannot wait.
Funds can be used for a wide range of purposes, including acquisitions, refinancing, releasing equity, refurbishing property, or repositioning an asset ahead of long-term finance or sale.
All costs are set out clearly at the start of the transaction, providing full transparency and avoiding unexpected charges later in the process.
Rather than focusing on personal income or monthly affordability, bridging lenders look at the property value, rental potential, and the strength of the exit, making commercial bridging a practical solution where conventional finance falls short.
Our Lending Approach
AF Credit is a specialist property lender providing fast, flexible short-term finance for residential, commercial, and mixed-use property. We support property investors, landlords, developers, and business owners who need certainty of funding, clear terms, and the ability to move quickly when opportunities arise.
Whether you are purchasing, refinancing, releasing capital, or funding works, our streamlined lending approach allows you to complete transactions efficiently without unnecessary red tape or delays.
Move quickly
Act with confidence on time-critical opportunities, including auctions, off-market purchases, and tight completion deadlines, giving you certainty of funding when it matters most.
Add value
From refurbishments and conversions to stabilising rental income, our facilities focus on the strength of the property and the exit strategy, allowing you to improve and reposition your asset without being slowed by complex finance.
Clear and reliable
We provide transparent terms, consistent underwriting, and a straightforward process from application through to completion, so you always know where you stand and can plan with confidence.