Bridging Loans Sussex

A bridging loan is short-term lending secured against UK property, usually for 1 to 24 months. We agree a loan amount, monthly rate and exit route, take a first or second charge over the security, and release funds once valuation, legal and title are settled. In Sussex we most commonly see bridges used for auction completions on Hastings, Eastbourne and Worthing stock, refurbishment-to-BTL projects across Brighton BN2 and the Hove conversion belt, holiday-let purchases in Rye and the East Sussex coast, and regulated chain-break cases for owner-occupiers in Lewes, Chichester, Horsham and Haywards Heath. Interest is usually rolled up and paid on redemption rather than serviced monthly. Most loans settle in 6 to 12 months with redemption tied to either a refinance to a longer-term product or a sale of the security.

Regulated bridging on owner-occupied homes typically starts at 0.55% per month and runs up to about 0.85%, with LTV usually capped at 65 to 70%. Unregulated bridging on investment property, BTL and commercial security sits at 0.65% to 1.25% per month at 65 to 75% LTV. Heavy refurbishment and development exit cases sit between 0.75% and 1.5% per month at 60 to 70% LTV. Second charge bridging usually prices at 0.85% to 1.5% per month. Arrangement fees are typically 1.5 to 2.0% of loan, with legal costs borrower-paid on both sides. Rates are quoted monthly, never as an annual percentage rate.

Indicative terms within 24 hours of submission is our standard. Standard completions run 10 to 21 days from offer. Tight auction cases on Sussex stock complete in 7 to 14 days where we use title insurance and a streamlined valuation. Where the security has unusual title, a missing building regs sign-off, or a leasehold quirk common on Brighton seafront flats and Hove conversion blocks, we may need 21 to 28 days for legal work. We give you a realistic timeline at the indicative-terms stage so the auctioneer or vendor knows what to expect, rather than promising a date we cannot stand behind once the legal pack lands with the solicitor.

Three things, in order. First, an unclear exit. Lenders price bridging against how the loan will be repaid, not just the security value, so a vague refinance plan or speculative sale can fail underwriting. Second, security with material valuation risk: structural defects, cladding issues on Brighton seafront blocks, coastal erosion notes on East Sussex coast stock, or planning enforcement on Article 4 HMO conversions can drop LTV below useful levels. Third, borrower credit events in the recent past, particularly active CCJs or recent insolvency, narrow the panel quickly. We triage these early so you do not waste application fees. Where the deal still works on a tighter LTV or a more specialist lender we will say so up front rather than chase a doomed case.

Yes. Auction completions are core to our Sussex book. With the auction pack in our hands the day after the hammer falls we typically come back with indicative terms inside 24 hours from MT Finance, Hope Capital or LendInvest depending on the security. Completion at 10 to 14 days is normal where title insurance is available. We run cases at Clive Emson, Auction House South East, the BTW Auctions sales and the regional in-room auctions on Hastings, Eastbourne, Worthing and Crawley stock at this pace.

Yes. Light refurbishment (cosmetic, no layout change), medium refurbishment (some layout, no structural) and heavy refurbishment (planning, structural or change of use) are all routine. Roma Finance and United Trust Bank both support stage drawdown against quantity-surveyor sign-off, releasing tranches as works complete. Common Sussex scenarios include buy-refurbish-refinance on Hastings TN34 and Eastbourne BN21 terraced stock, HMO conversions in Brighton BN2 and Hove BN3 where the Article 4 position allows, holiday-let upgrade work on Rye and Lewes period cottages, and end-of-life property rescue on the Crawley RH10 ex-local-authority belt for BTL exit. Rates on refurbishment bridges typically sit at 0.75% to 1.5% per month depending on the scope, with LTVs at 60 to 70% of gross development value rather than current value.

Regulated bridging is secured against a property occupied or to be occupied by the borrower or an immediate family member. It is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Chain-break loans for owner-occupiers in Lewes, Chichester, Horsham or Haywards Heath are the classic regulated case. Unregulated bridging is secured against commercial property, investment property, BTL or refurbishment stock. It is not regulated by the FCA. We do not hold direct FCA authorisation. For regulated cases we introduce clients to FCA-authorised partners who carry out the regulated activity. Unregulated cases we arrange directly.

The four main exits are: sale of the security on the open market (typical for downsizer chain-breaks across the Lewes and Chichester premium belt, and probate cases), refinance to a BTL mortgage once works are complete and rented (typical for refurbishment-to-BTL on Brighton, Hove and Worthing stock), refinance to a long-term commercial mortgage against commercial or mixed-use security (typical on Worthing, Brighton and Hastings seafront mixed-use), and sale of a separate asset (typical for chain-break and capital-raise cases). Lenders want to see the exit named, costed and time-bound at offer stage. A weak or speculative exit will narrow the panel and push the rate up.

We are a specialist bridging brokerage covering the whole of historic Sussex: East Sussex, West Sussex and the Brighton & Hove unitary. We do not have a public-facing branch on the high street. We work case by case with clients from Brighton, Hove, Chichester, Worthing, Eastbourne, Hastings, Crawley, Horsham, Lewes, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Bexhill, Rye, Battle, Arundel, Shoreham-by-Sea, Seaford, Uckfield, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Midhurst. The 24-hour indicative-terms turnaround removes the need for a face-to-face first meeting. Where a site visit or vendor meeting helps the case we will come out to the property anywhere in Sussex. Most enquiries start with a 15-minute triage call and an emailed information pack, then move straight to lender submission once you confirm the angle.

To package a clean indicative-terms request we need: the address and tenure of the security, your purchase price or current value estimate, the loan amount required, the proposed exit (sale, refinance, other), the target completion date, basic borrower identity and a one-line credit-history note. For refurbishment cases we also want a works schedule and cost. For auction cases we need the legal pack. For development exit we need the QS sign-off and a sales schedule. We can return indicative terms inside 24 hours on a clean pack and underwriting in 3 to 5 working days. Where the case warrants it we will instruct the valuer the same day as offer acceptance to keep the completion timeline tight.