Bridging Loan Case Studies Berkshire

An investor client picked up a tired mixed-use parade off Slough High Street at a regional Allsop sale with a 28-day completion deadline. The ground-floor retail unit was vacant at auction; the three flats above were let on assured shorthold tenancies. The legal pack flagged a flying-freehold note across the upper-floor flats that most term commercial lenders would not accept inside 28 days.

We had the auction pack on the desk by 9am the morning after the hammer fell. Indicative terms came back from two panel lenders inside 24 hours. The borrower signed the better of the two and we packaged the file the same week. Valuation landed inside 6 working days and legals ran in parallel using title insurance to clear the flying-freehold point. Completion landed 16 working days after the hammer fell, well inside the 28-day clock.

An experienced Thames Valley landlord bought a four-bed Victorian terrace in Reading RG1 for conversion into a six-let HMO targeting the University of Reading and town-centre professional rental pool. The property sat inside a Reading Article 4 designation, which removed permitted-development rights for HMO conversion. Planning consent had been applied for but was not yet granted at the point of purchase. The works also required structural alteration for compliant fire separation and an EPC uplift to a C rating.

We packaged the case to a heavy-refurbishment specialist on the panel who accepted the planning-pending status with a conditional release of the works tranche. The 12-month bridge funded the purchase at 68% LTV of gross development value with the works budget released in three stage payments. Planning came through at month 3 and works completed at month 9 with a quantity surveyor signing off each stage.

A family in their late 40s wanted to complete on a larger five-bed detached in the Twyford-Sonning corridor before their existing four-bed in Twyford itself finished going through the sale process. The buyers on the existing home were ready in principle but their chain had a delay further down. The family stood to lose the onward purchase if they could not exchange within 4 weeks of offer.

Because the security was their existing owner-occupied home, the bridge was regulated. We introduced them to one of our FCA-authorised partners who carried out the regulated activity. The packaging team handled the case file and the lender quoted indicative terms inside 24 hours at the regulated rate band. Funds completed in 13 working days against the existing home as first charge, and the onward purchase exchanged on time.

A regional developer reached practical completion on a ten-unit scheme on the edge of the Bracknell town-centre regen catchment. The development facility ran at expensive dev rates and was 30 days from expiry. Four of the ten units had buyers under offer subject to contract but had not exchanged. The other six were on the market with no offers yet.

We refinanced the developer off the dev facility onto a development-exit bridge at materially lower monthly cost. The case priced at 65% LTV against the gross development value, term 12 months, with the lender accepting individual unit sales as the redemption mechanism. The packaging covered the build cost reconciliation, the marketing strategy, and individual unit valuations against comparable evidence in the postcode area.

A small developer secured a vacant three-storey town-centre office building in Maidenhead SL6 with Class MA prior approval already granted for conversion to 8 one-bed flats. The Elizabeth line had transformed the Maidenhead commuter market, and the prior-approval pathway under the expanded permitted-development regime made the conversion economics work. The developer needed bridging to acquire, refurbish and either sell or refinance the finished units.

We packaged the case to a heavy-refurbishment specialist on the panel who handled Class MA conversions routinely. The 15-month bridge funded the purchase at 65% LTV of gross development value with the works budget released in four stage payments. Fire and EPC works ran through months 3 to 11, signed off in stages by a monitoring surveyor.

An investor bought a former first-floor dental practice in Newbury RG14 with Class MA prior approval granted for conversion to 4 one-bed flats. The ground floor retained a long-standing commercial tenant on a 10-year lease, which underpinned the building income through the works. The conversion targeted the Vodafone HQ commuter market and the wider Newbury and Thatcham professional rental pool.

We packaged the case to a refurbishment specialist on the panel comfortable with mixed-use security where the upper floors were under works. The 12-month bridge funded the purchase plus works at 65% LTV of gross development value. Stage payments tracked the works through plastering, kitchens, bathrooms and final EPC certification.

A retired couple in their early 70s wanted to downsize from a larger seven-bed family home in Windsor SL4 into a six-bed period villa nearby. The onward purchase was bound to a fixed completion date set by the seller; the existing home was on the market but had not yet found a buyer in the cooler upper Windsor segment. The villa carried period-property locality covenants requiring careful conveyancing.

Because the security was their existing owner-occupied home, the bridge was regulated. We introduced them to one of our FCA-authorised partners who carried out the regulated activity. Hope Capital quoted at 0.70% per month at 60% LTV against the existing home as first charge. Funds completed in 14 working days and the onward purchase exchanged on time.

A landlord with an existing portfolio of military-let HMOs around the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst added a three-bed semi for conversion to a four-let HMO. The target market was officer-cadet families, visiting staff and Wellington College support staff in nearby Crowthorne. Sandhurst proper sits outside the Article 4 restrictions that apply to parts of Wokingham Borough, simplifying planning. Works required structural fire separation, an EPC uplift to C, and a kitchen and bathroom refit.

We packaged the case to a refurbishment specialist on the panel comfortable with HMO conversions in the South East. The 9-month bridge funded the purchase plus works at 70% LTV of gross development value. Stage payments tracked the works through fire separation, services upgrade, kitchen and bathroom installation and final EPC certification.

A small developer acquired a redundant agricultural barn on the edge of Pangbourne village with Class Q prior approval already granted for conversion to a four-bed detached dwelling. The site sat close to a conservation-area boundary, with the planning conditions covering window placement, roof treatment and materials. Services connection (water, drainage, electricity) required works and a phased timeline.

We packaged the case to a refurbishment specialist on the panel comfortable with Class Q rural conversions. The 15-month bridge funded the acquisition plus works at 60% LTV of gross development value. Stage payments tracked the works through services installation, structural conversion, roofing and final fit-out.

A freeholder of a 12-flat purpose-built block in Wokingham RG40 needed bridging to fund a common-parts refurbishment programme covering communal hallways, external decoration, roof repair and a fire-safety upgrade. The Section 20 leaseholder consultation had run and the works were costed. The freeholder had a small first-charge commercial loan against the freehold reversion that he did not want to disturb.

We arranged a 9-month second-charge bridge against the freehold at 60% LTV behind the existing first charge. The lender took comfort from the leaseholder service-charge income that would recover the works cost across the leaseholders over the following 18 months, and from the long-term refinance plan against the improved freehold valuation. Works ran 5 months through summer and autumn.