Bridging Loans

We have access to all the best bridging loan providers, plus a range of exclusive facilities that are useful for applications that fall outside general lending criteria.

"At KIS Bridging Loans we will take the time to fully understand your plans and finance requirements, before finding the best possible deal on the facility that is best suited to your requirements."

As specialist bridging loan brokers we arrange the best possible finance facilities for all our clients.

We can beat any genuine bridging loan offer! [+] How are we able to do this?

What is a bridging loan?

Bridging loans are a form of fast, flexible short-term lending, usually for 12 months or less, which can be used by individuals or businesses.  The loan can be used to “bridge” the gap in your finances until either a long-term financing solution can be put in place or alternative funds are received from another source, for example the sale of a property.

Bridging loans, which are sometimes referred to as swing loans or gap finance, are fast to arrange and allow the flexibility to enable you to take advantage of an opportunity that has arisen or obtain a quick cash injection if that’s required.

Modern Day Bridging Loans

These days, bridging loans are short term from 1 to 12 months that range from £50,000 to £25 million. They are secured against property in good or poor condition, and when compared to mortgages they are much quicker to arrange and not so income or credit history dependant.

• Fast to arrange
• Buy before you sell
• Property restoration
• Poor credit history

Do you Require a 'Regulated' or 'Unregulated' Bridging Loan?

The vast majority of bridging lenders are unregulated, meaning they are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. They are still able to lend but are restricted to only being able to provide unregulated bridging loans.

The lenders who provide regulated bridging also provide unregulated facilities. Whether or not a bridging loan is regulated or un-regulated depends on who might be living at the property being offered as security. If it is the borrower, or a close member of their family, then the loan will need to be regulated.

In addition, if the borrower does not currently reside at the security property, but has plans to in the future, then this will also mean that the loan will have to be regulated.

Some lenders may insist that a loan is written on a regulated agreement if the borrower does not reside at the security property but has done in the past.

Regulated Bridging Loans

A lender is required to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority in order to provide a regulated bridging loan.

There are far fewer bridging lenders in the market place able to provide regulated bridging loans than there are providing unregulated bridging facilities.

We estimate that only 1 in only 12 bridging lenders are regulated by the FCA

Extensive Regulated Bridging Loan Facilities

• Loans from £100,000 to £5 million
• Up to £20 million on some plans
• Terms from 1 to 12 months
• Up to 24 months on some plans
• Rates from 0.44% per month
• From 0.32% per month on some plans
• Up to 75% Loan to Value
• Open market value
• No income proof required
• When planned exit is sale of property
• Poor credit history
• CCJ's, Defaults, Arrears and Bankruptcies
• Maximum age typically 85
• No age restriction on some plans
• Desktop valuations
• Available on many plans
• Joint legal representation
• Available on many plans
• Very fast service
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We have access to all the FCA regulated bridging loan providers

There is a good choice of regulated lenders providing loan facilities ranging from £100,000 to £5 million, with 12 month terms (1 month minimum term) and offering rates ranging from 0.44% to 0.49% per month for loans up to 50% Loan to Value. 

In addition, there are some specialist plans that allow facilities of up to £20 million, loan terms of up to 24 months, monthly rates as low as 0.32%, no maximum age for applicants, plus other specialist underwriting. Please email or call us anytime for further information.

What can regulated bridging loans be used for?

• Buy before you sell – Buying a new home before you sell your existing one
• Chain-breaks – If the sale of your property suddenly falls through
• Downsizing
• Upsizing
• Buying a retirement home
• Purchasing a property abroad
• Re-Bridging
• Auction Purchases
• Purchase an investment property
• Investment projects
• Business uses – Your business need funds for some reason
• Probate issues – helping with probate
• Pay a debt
• Property improvements, restorations, developments
• Self build projects
• Stopping repossessions
• Repay or prevent bankruptcies

Regulated bridging loans can be used for many purposes when a short-term finance is required. Most people associate bridging being used to fund the purchase of a new property before the current one is sold.

This is still a very popular use, and are often used to help with downsizing, upsizing, buying a retirement home, or a property abroad. They are also commonly used for self builds, buying a property in need of repair as a restoration project, building projects, business uses, paying debts, stopping repossessions and solving probate issues.

Types of security – what can a regulated bridging loan be secured on

• Houses
• Bungalows
• Maisonettes
• Flats
• Self Builds
• Development project
• Restoration projects
• Semi Commercial

Properties can be in a poor state of repair and unfit for mortgage purposes.

How long should I take out a regulated bridging loan for?

The vast majority of our regulated bridging loans are set up on our platinum plans with a 12 month term.

On the platinum plans the minimum loan term is 1 month, meaning if you repay the loan within the first 30 days, you will be charged interest for the full month. However, after 1 month, interest will only be charged up to the day that the loan is repaid.

Exit route – repaying your bridging loan

With regulated bridging loans there has to be a clear exit route. Some lenders will only accept sale of a property as the method of repayment, but most will also accept refinance.

When the planned exit route is refinance, it is important to ensure that there is a refinance option. For example, a bridging loan could be used to finance a self-build, then once the property has been completed a re-mortgage used to repay the bridging loan. It is essential to check that a re-mortgage will be available once the property has been completed, otherwise the bridging loan won’t be repaid as planned.

Unregulated Bridging Loans

There are many options for unregulated bridging loans. Lenders range from private individuals who lend out their own money, or have some other source of funds, to banks and other large institutions.  Wherever possible it is advisable to borrow from an FCA registered and/or a reputable lender.

There are hundreds of bridging loan lenders, all of whom able to provide unregulated loans. They will lend to purchase or refinance:

• Commercial Properties
• Semi-Commercial - for example a shop with a flat above
• Residential Houses or Flats - that are to be rented out, or refurbished and sold
• Land – Farmland, Development Land (with or without planning), etc

What is an Unregulated Bridging Loan?

A bridging loan is ‘unregulated’ when the property being used as security is for business or investment purposes which will never be occupied by the borrower or any member of their immediate family. A bridging loan also becomes unregulated when it is taken out under the name of a company/business, instead of a person.

Extensive Unregulated Bridging Loan Facilities

• Immediate in principle decisions
• Fast written terms
• Loans from £100,000 to £1 billion
• Fast funding (48 hours is possible)
• Terms up to 36 months
• Rates from 0.29% per month
• LTV up to 80% of Open Market Value
• No income proof
• Company, partnerships or individuals
• No age restrictions (on many plans)
• Valuations not always required
• Desktop valuations available on some plans
• Joint legal representation available on some plans
• Poor credit history
• Non UK residents
• All types of property and land
• We cover all the UK (Facilities also for Europe)
• All types of property construction
• Complicated cases a speciality
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, equitable and unilateral charges available

What can unregulated bridging loans be used for?

• Maintaining place in a sale chain
• Re-Bridging
• Auction purchases
• Property development
• Lease extensions and freehold purchases
• Renovation, conversion and refurbishment
• Payment of HMRC liability (Tax, VAT, Inheritance tax)
• Legal and litigation fees
• Repossessions stopped
• Business cash injection
• Business expansion
• Chain breaks
• Refinance an existing bridging loan
• Raise funds on un-mortgageable properties
• Must have purchases, a bargain property or other item

Types of security – what can an unregulated bridging loan be secured on

• Residential property (houses, flats, etc)
• Property in a poor condition
• HMOs
• Mixed use property
• All construction types
• Hotels
• Guest Houses
• Care homes
• Shops
• Offices
• Retail units
• Leisure complexes
• Farm land
• Development land
• Parking Spaces

Loan Process - Keeping It Simple

We keep the whole process of obtaining a bridging loan as simple as possible.

How does a bridging loan work?

A bridge loan uses the equity in property as security for a borrowing facility. Unlike other secured loans and mortgages, a bridge loan can be set up quickly and can make use of property that would normally be considered unsuitable security for many lenders.

It is important to remember that bridge loans are a short term finance method, so should not be taken out for long periods. As a short term method of finance they have advantages over other funding methods because:

• Many facilities do not have exit or redemption fees.
• They can be set up quickly.
• Can make use of property that is in a poor state of repair and therefore unsuitable security for most lenders.
• Interest charges can be added into the bridge loan for the full term, or a set number of months, and paid when the loan is redeemed.
• Income proof and affordability calculations are not a limiting factor if interest is added to the facility.
• A Poor credit history is ignored by many bridging lenders.
• Less age restrictions.

What is a commercial bridging loan?

These are typically used by individuals and businesses who require fast short term finance, and use commercial property as their security.

Commercial bridging loans are often used to...

• Purchase property that is unsuitable security for a traditional lenders – when a buy to let or commercial mortgage is unavailable due to a property's construction, state of repair, because it is going to be converted, demolished and rebuilt, etc
• Stop repossession – you may need to clear arrears or completely repay a lender before a property is repossessed.
• Fulfill a large order – upon receiving a large order a business may need quick short term funding in order to buy the materials and pay staff in order accept and complete an order.
• Pay urgent tax demands - or replace funds when an overdraft or other facility is unexpectedly called in.
• Provide a cash injection to a business - you may need to pay bills whilst waiting for invoices to be paid or an alternative finance facility to be put in place.
• To purchase a bargain – a property or other item may become available that can be purchased cheap if the sale can be completed quickly.

Differences between open and closed bridging loans

Before taking out any type of short term finance you need to make sure that you have an exit strategy for how you are going to repay your loan back at or before the end of its term.

Closed bridging loans

If the loan is to be repaid on a set date, for example from the sale of a property where contracts have already be exchanged and a completion date set, or from the proceeds of an investment policy due to mature on a specific date, then this is known as a closed bridging loan.

Open bridging loans

However, if there is no firm date on which the loan is to be repaid, for example the exit route is the sale of a property that hasn't yet got a buyer and could sell anytime within a week to a year, this is known as an open bridging loan.

The lenders do prefer closed loans, but for most applications these days it doesn't make that much difference with regards to finding a facility, rates and costs. This is because the bridging market is currently very competitive.