Structuring a £250k bridge for an 82-year-old investor

The Situation

An 82-year-old property investor approached us looking to raise capital against an unencumbered investment property

The property was a dated three-bedroom terraced house valued at £750,000. The plan was ambitious: a full refurbishment, a rear extension, and a loft conversion to create a five-bedroom property with a projected GDV of £1.2m.

The client required £210,000 upfront to fund the works and manage the project from start to finish.

While the asset was strong, client age and project scope meant the funding structure required careful consideration and navigation.

The Challenge

On paper, this could have been structured as a development loan.

However, development finance often involves staged drawdowns, monitoring costs and additional administration as works progress.

For this client, certainty of funds from day one was critical. The intention was to manage the project efficiently without waiting for phased releases.

The question was not whether funding could be arranged. It was how to structure it intelligently.

Our Approach

Rather than defaulting to development finance, we assessed whether the project could be structured as a bridging loan instead.

We reviewed:

By positioning the project clearly and demonstrating a viable exit, we were able to secure a structure that delivered full funding upfront.

The Outcome

Completion achieved in 4 weeks.

The client had full control of the project from day one, reduced overall costs compared to a development finance loan, and retained flexibility through the 12-month term.

Takeaway

The right solution is not always the obvious one.

By structuring this as a bridging loan rather than development finance, we reduced cost, complexity and administrative burden while delivering the capital required upfront.

Structuring is not simply about securing funding. It is about aligning the facility with the client's objective from the outset.