Please note: this service is not provided by The Mortgage Advice Professionals. We will introduce you to a specialist lending firm we are partnered with, who will advise you and arrange the finance. MAP will stay alongside you throughout, supporting you at every stage of the process
Short-term finance, arranged at short notice
A bridging loan does what the name suggests: it covers a gap. It's secured against property, usually runs for a matter of months rather than years, and is designed to be repaid from a clear source — a sale, a refinance, or the end of a project.
Speed is often the reason people use one. Where a mainstream mortgage can take weeks, a bridge may be arranged in a shorter timeframe, which is why it tends to suit situations with a deadline attached.
Situations where a bridge may help
Bridging finance is generally used where timing matters or where a conventional mortgage isn't immediately suitable.
Buying at auction
Where completion timescales are fixed and short.
Buying before selling
Securing a new property before the existing one has sold.
Rescuing a broken chain
Helping where a property chain has collapsed and another source of finance is needed.
Unmortgageable property
Buying something a normal lender won't touch — no kitchen, no bathroom, or structural issues.
Funding a refurbishment
Light or heavy refurbishment before refinancing onto a longer-term product.
Releasing funds quickly
Releasing funds against property you already own.
When timing is the issue
Bridging finance is often considered when a transaction has a deadline attached and a conventional mortgage cannot complete within the required timeframe.
Understanding the difference
The type of bridging finance depends in part on the property being used as security and how it is occupied.
Regulated bridging
Regulated bridging generally applies where the security is a home you or an immediate family member lives in.
These cases fall under FCA rules.
Unregulated bridging
Unregulated bridging covers investment and business property — buy-to-let, commercial premises, land, and development projects.
It isn't FCA regulated, which is why the right advice matters.
What to think about before committing
Higher rates
Bridging is a tool, not a shortcut. Rates are typically higher than on standard mortgages.
Fees apply
Fees form part of the overall cost and should be considered alongside the interest and other charges.
A credible exit
Lenders will usually want to see a credible exit — the specific way the loan is to be repaid.
The timing
The proposed exit and the timing of the transaction need to make sense together.
How will the loan be repaid?
A bridge is designed to be repaid from a clear source — typically a sale, a refinance, or the end of a project.
Where the exit is sound and the timing is tight, it can make a deal possible. Where it isn't, it can turn into an expensive mistake.
We'll talk it through honestly
Bridging finance can be useful when the circumstances call for speed, but it needs to be structured around a realistic repayment plan.
We'll talk that through honestly before introducing you to one of our short-term finance partners.
Bridging should have a clear purpose
A bridging loan is designed to solve a specific funding problem over a relatively short period. The property, circumstances, timescale and proposed exit all need to be considered together.
If you're facing a time-sensitive purchase, a broken chain, a refurbishment or another situation where conventional finance isn't immediately suitable, speak to MAP.
We'll understand what you're trying to achieve and make the introduction to a specialist short-term finance partner.
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