Residential Bridging
Fast Residential Bridging for Time-Critical Property Purchases​
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Our residential bridging loans provide short-term, flexible funding for purchases, refinances, rebridging, chain breaks, light refurbishments and auction completions.
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Designed for speed and simplicity, we help you complete quickly and move smoothly to your planned exit.​
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Residential Bridging Loan Criteria
A Guide to Residential Bridging Loans
We specialise in Residential Bridging Loans, providing fast, flexible short-term property finance for buyers, investors, landlords, and developers who need to complete quickly. Our residential bridging finance solutions are designed to reduce upfront costs and remove unnecessary delays by utilising Dual Representation Legals, as well as AVMs, Desktop Valuations, or Internal Valuation (no valuation) assessments where appropriate.
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This approach allows us to deliver efficient funding for auction purchases, chain breaks, refurbishments, unmortgageable properties, rapid completions, and refinancing, helping borrowers secure residential property opportunities with speed and certainty.
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Residential bridging loans are commonly used when traditional mortgage funding is too slow or restrictive. With streamlined underwriting, flexible criteria, and bespoke structuring, we enable clients to proceed with confidence on time-sensitive residential transactions.
How does it work
Residential bridging loans are short-term, asset-secured property loans designed to “bridge” a financial gap during time-sensitive transactions. They are commonly used when purchasing a new residential property before selling an existing one, funding auction purchases, or financing refurbishments prior to refinance or resale.
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Unlike traditional mortgages, residential bridging finance is secured against the property (or multiple properties) rather than being purely income-based. This asset-backed structure allows lenders to make faster credit decisions and release funds quickly, often within days rather than weeks.
Residential bridging loans are typically arranged for short terms ranging from 3 to 24 months and are structured with flexible interest options. Interest can usually be paid monthly, retained, or rolled up and repaid at the end of the term, depending on the borrower’s strategy and cashflow requirements.
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Important Considerations
While residential bridging finance offers speed and flexibility, borrowers should be aware that:
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Interest rates are typically higher than standard mortgages due to the short-term nature of the funding
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Additional costs may apply, including arrangement fees, legal fees, valuation costs, and exit fees
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As the loan is secured against property, failure to repay could result in repossession
When structured correctly, residential bridging loans provide a powerful funding solution for buyers and investors who need fast, flexible short-term property finance.
Residential Bridging Loan Features & Benefits
Speed & Valuation Process
To accelerate residential completions, lenders may use AVMs (Automated Valuation Models), desktop valuations, internal assessments, or recent comparable sales data where appropriate even where the property is unmortgageable. This streamlined approach reduces upfront valuation costs and removes unnecessary delays, making residential bridging loans particularly effective for auction purchases, chain breaks, probate sales, unmortgageable properties, and urgent residential transactions.
Flexible Repayment Options
Residential bridging loans offer flexible repayment structures that are often not available through traditional mortgage products. This makes them suitable for borrowers who may not currently meet standard buy-to-let or residential mortgage criteria due to credit history, complex income, portfolio structures, or short-term circumstances.
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Loans are structured around a clearly defined exit strategy, which is a core underwriting requirement. Common exit routes include:
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Sale of the residential property
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Refinance onto a buy-to-let or residential mortgage
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Capital repayment from other business transactions
This flexibility allows borrowers to align funding with their wider investment strategy while maintaining control over repayment timing.
Wider Borrower Acceptance & Flexible Criteria
Residential bridging lenders typically operate with more flexible underwriting criteria than high street mortgage providers. This means borrowers with complex circumstances, self-employed income, portfolio landlords, credit blips, or non-standard property types may still be considered.
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Rather than relying purely on rigid affordability models, residential bridging finance is primarily assessed on asset value, security strength, borrower background and exit strategy, allowing more transactions to complete that would otherwise be declined by traditional lenders.
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
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.
When should you use a residential bridging loan?
A residential bridging loan is typically used when a property transaction is time-sensitive or when traditional mortgage finance is not suitable.
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Common scenarios include purchasing a residential property before an existing property has sold, completing an auction purchase within a fixed deadline, funding light refurbishment works prior to resale or refinance, foreign nationals purchasing property in the UK, new build purchases with deadlines or acquiring a property that is currently unmortgageable due to its condition or title structure.
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Residential bridging finance is particularly effective where speed, certainty, and flexibility are required. Because lending decisions are primarily based on the property and the exit strategy - rather than rigid affordability models - borrowers can progress transactions that would otherwise be delayed or declined by traditional lenders.
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Depending on the structure, residential bridging loans can often complete significantly faster than standard mortgages, making them well-suited to chain breaks, probate sales, and urgent residential opportunities.
Why Choose Residential Bridging Finance Over a Mortgage?
Residential bridging finance is often chosen over traditional mortgages when speed, flexibility, and certainty of funding are more important than long-term pricing.
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Unlike mortgages, which typically involve lengthy underwriting processes, strict affordability assessments, and extended valuation timelines, residential bridging loans are designed to complete quickly and adapt to complex or time-sensitive transactions.
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Bridging finance is particularly suitable where a borrower needs to complete an auction purchase, resolve a chain break, secure a property before selling an existing asset, or fund a residential property that is currently unmortgageable due to condition, title issues, or short-term refurbishment requirements.
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Residential bridging lenders primarily assess the property security and exit strategy, rather than relying solely on income-based affordability models. This allows borrowers with complex income structures, portfolio investments, or short-term credit issues to access funding that may not be available through high street mortgage lenders.
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While bridging loans typically carry higher interest rates than standard mortgages, they offer significantly faster completion times, flexible repayment structures, and bespoke deal structuring, making them a powerful short-term funding solution when used strategically.