New to bridging finance? Here's a plain-English guide to how it works, from application to repayment.
A bridging loan is short-term finance, typically running from a few weeks up to 24 months, secured against property. It's designed to 'bridge' a gap — most often between buying one property and selling another, but also for renovation projects, auction purchases, or any situation where you need funds faster than a mortgage can provide.
Unlike a mortgage, bridging finance is priced and assessed primarily on the property and your exit strategy, rather than your income alone, which is why it can often be arranged much faster.
Last reviewed 12 October 2026 by the Raise The Bridge team.
A bridging loan is short-term finance, from a few weeks up to 24 months, secured against property. You borrow against the property's value, then repay the loan in one lump sum when your exit strategy — usually a sale or refinance — completes.
Your plan for repaying the loan at the end of the term, most often by selling a property or refinancing onto a mortgage. Lenders assess it as closely as the property itself.
Not always. Interest is often rolled up or retained and paid when the loan is repaid, so there may be no monthly payments during the term.
Bridging is assessed primarily on the property and your exit strategy rather than your income alone, so there's less underwriting and funds can often be released within days of legal completion.
No. Raise Commercial Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We arrange unregulated commercial and investment property finance only. We never lend against a property that is or will become the borrower's or their family's home.
