At KIS Finance we provide free bridging loan advice about bridging loans and alternative methods of finance so that you can get the best possible deal.
Although short term finance requirements are often provided through the use of facilities such as bank overdrafts and credit cards, there are times when large sums of money are required for just a short period of time.
Bridging loans are specialist finance facilities used to provide short term loans (typically above £100,000) for a short period of time (between 1 to 12 months). The traditional use of bridging loans is to ‘bridge’ the gap in finances that occurs when properties are being purchased and sold within a chain but completion dates can’t be arranged for the same day.
Since bridging loans are not intended to be used as long term methods of finance, it is very important to have a reliable exit strategy in place in order to be able to repay any bridging loan at, or before, the end of its term.
This is because bridging loans usually have a high monthly rate of interest making them expensive if used for anything other than short term finance.
In addition, many bridging lenders will charge additional fees, such as renewal fees, if you go over the agreed bridging loan term.
Your exit strategy should therefore be a ‘sure thing’ and if it is not you need to make sure that you also have a backup exit strategy ready.
A common exit strategy is to clear the bridging loan following the sale of a property, in which case do your homework with regards to pricing and what price you can realistically expect for the property.
It would also be worthwhile investigating what price maybe achieved if the property had to be sold quickly.
Another option used as an exit strategy is refinancing, which would typically be used if the bridging loan was taken out to help finance restoration, renovation, other building work and new developments.
Once the property is finished, and in a condition that it can be used as security for a more traditional mortgage, then a buy to let mortgage, commercial mortgage or other long-term facility can be used to repay the bridging finance.
If you intend to clear your bridging loan by refinancing, it is very important to ensure that you are able to obtain the required finance facility. Remember that since the credit crunch lending criteria is less forgiving as lenders have more regulation/guidelines and limited funds, so are therefore more selective.
For businesses that use commercial bridging loans to fund large orders or to cover short term cash flow problems, their exit strategy could be to clear their loan when they receive payment from customers who owe them money.
In these circumstances it is probably a good idea to have a backup plan in place in the event that their customers are unable to pay their invoices.
Sometimes bridging loans are just taken out to enable the purchase of an absolute bargain which will then be sold for a quick profit.
In these circumstances make sure that you are certain that the bargain item is exactly that, and if it doesn’t sell for a profit ensure that you have alternative funds that you can use to repay the bridging loan.
Remember that many main lenders have the 6 month rule (or even 12 month with some lenders), that means they will not provide funds to purchase a property if it hasn’t been owned by the current owner for at least 6 months.
This could therefore affect your proposed sale if you intend to sell the property within 6 months of owning it because prospective purchases may find it difficult to arrange a mortgage due to the 6 month rule.
Despite being a specialist source of finance that often provides the best borrowing option in terms of cost and speed, quite often there may be a better alternative to bridging finance!
Funds can be required quickly when picking up a bargain investment property leading investors to using a bridging loan to secure the purchase which will then usually be refinanced using a buy to let mortgage 6 months later. However it is possible to purchase an investment property using a buy to let mortgage within as little as 2 weeks! Well it is when using ourselves anyway!
Short term business cash flow problems can take advantage of a commercial bridging loan, but they may also be able to release funds tied up in their assets through asset refinancing, or make use of invoice finance to release money due from outstanding invoices. Both asset refinancing and invoice finance can be put in place quickly and can provide a cheaper alternative to bridging finance.
Other alternatives include development finance, commercial loans, secured loans, commercial mortgages and asset loans.
Before making a bid at auction it is strongly advisable to ensure that you have funds in place beforehand. If your bid is the winning bid you will normally be required to pay a 10 percent deposit that day and the balance normally within 28 days, although sometimes this can be as little as just 14 days. It is also advisable to ensure that you have viewed any property you intend to bid on, have had your solicitor look over the legal pack, checked for any special conditions and if possible have had the property surveyed.
If you need further bridging loan advice please call us today
Written By Holly AndrewsLast updated: 22 November 2023 | © KIS Bridging Loans 2024