Bridging loans for limited companies
How UK companies, SPVs and LLPs borrow on a bridge — what you can borrow against, the terms that apply, and how a direct lender assesses it.
A bridging loan is short-term finance secured against property, used to move quickly and repaid from a defined exit — a sale, a refinance onto longer-term borrowing, or funds becoming available on completion of a project. For companies buying, refinancing or raising capital against UK property, it fills the gap where a term lender is too slow or too rigid.
Borrowing through a limited company or SPV is one of the most common structures in UK property finance. It is well understood by lenders, and it is the structure most of our borrowers use.
Who can borrow
Eligible borrowers
We lend to:
- UK limited companies and SPVs
- UK LLPs
- Individuals borrowing for a property business they carry on
We do not lend to unincorporated partnerships, sole traders, or anyone acting as trustee. If you borrow personally, the loan must be wholly or predominantly for your property business, and you will sign a declaration to that effect. See our guide to business-purpose bridging loans for why that matters.
What we lend against
Suitable security
- Buy-to-let and residential investment property
- Semi-commercial and commercial property
- Land with planning consent
We take a first charge over UK property in England and Wales. We do not take second charges, and we will not take a charge over a home that you, a director, a shareholder or your family live in.
The terms
Indicative company bridging terms
The terms below are a guide. Every transaction is assessed individually, and final terms depend on the opportunity, security and status.
- Loan size — £150k–£2m
- Maximum LTV — 80%
- Term — 3–12 months
- Rate — 1% per month
- Interest — monthly in advance
- Facility fee — 2%
- Valuation — £600 + VAT
- Legal fees — £3,000 + VAT
- Exit fee — none
- Security — first charge
- Completion — typically 5 working days
One rate, published. We don’t quote from a headline rate and add monthly interest later. If your project has no income until completion, we’ll discuss the most suitable repayment structure. See the full lending criteria.
The exit
How the loan gets repaid
Because a bridge is short-term, the exit matters as much as the security. The most common company exits we see are:
- Sale of the property or of another asset in the portfolio
- Refinance onto a term facility or buy-to-let mortgage once the property qualifies
- Completion of works, letting or planning that unlocks the longer-term lender
We assess the exit at the outset. A clear, realistic exit is usually the difference between a transaction that completes smoothly and one that runs into trouble at the end of the term.
How we assess it
A direct decision on the merits
We lend our own capital. There is no credit committee and no external funding line between you and the decision, so we can look at the quality of the security, the borrower, the exit and the commercial rationale, rather than only a policy checklist.
For a company transaction we will typically want to understand the company and its directors, the property and its value, the amount and purpose of the loan, and how it will be repaid. Where an individual borrows for their property business, we confirm the business purpose first — often within minutes — because that is what allows the loan to sit outside regulated lending.
Get started
Have a company transaction in mind?
Speak directly with the people making the lending decision.