Bridging Loans Somerset

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 Somerset we most commonly see bridges used for auction completions on Bridgwater, Yeovil and Weston-super-Mare stock, refurbishment-to-BTL projects in Bath BA1 and Frome BA11, and regulated chain-break cases for owner-occupiers in Wells, Glastonbury, Clevedon and Portishead. 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. Pricing across Bath, Taunton, Yeovil and the rest of Somerset sits in the same bands as the national bridging market.

Indicative terms within 24 hours of submission is our standard. Standard completions run 10 to 21 days from offer. Tight auction cases on Somerset 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, 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, such as structural defects on Bath stone properties, listed building consent issues on Wells or Glastonbury period stock, or planning enforcement in the Mendip Hills AONB, 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.

Yes. Auction completions are core to our Somerset 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 have run cases at the regional Auction House Somerset and Country Property Auctions sales on Bridgwater TA6 terraces, Yeovil BA20 semis and Weston-super-Mare BS23 flats 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 Somerset scenarios include buy-refurbish-refinance on Bath stone Georgian terraces in BA1, heavy refurb on Frome period houses in BA11, barn conversions on the Mendip Hills and Quantock Hills edge, and end-of-life property rescue in Bridgwater and Yeovil for BTL exit. Rates on refurbishment bridges typically sit at 0.75% to 1.5% per month depending on 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 from Wells to Glastonbury, or between Clevedon and Portishead, 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 are not directly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority; we work with FCA-authorised partners for regulated lending. Unregulated cases we arrange directly.

The four main exits are: sale of the security on the open market (typical for downsizer chain-breaks and probate cases), refinance to a BTL mortgage once works are complete and rented (typical for refurbishment-to-BTL on Bath, Frome and Bridgwater stock), refinance to a long-term loan against commercial security (typical for retail and mixed-use bridges in Bath BA2 or Taunton TA1), 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 Somerset and the wider South West market. We do not have a public-facing branch on the high street. We work case-by-case with clients from Bath, Taunton, Yeovil, Weston-super-Mare, Wells, Bridgwater, Frome, Glastonbury and across all 20 of the county's market towns, plus the Mendip and Quantock villages. 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 Somerset. 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.