Cashbook Finance
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FCA-registered UK lender FRN 782472 (opens the FCA register in a new tab)

A short-term loan to bridge the gap.

Never used bridging before? In one line: it’s a fast, short-term loan secured against property, used to cover a gap until a longer-term plan – usually a sale or a mortgage – comes through.

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Not sure yet? Check eligibility in 2–3 minutes, or talk to a director.

Reviewed by , Director & CMO.Updated

Illustration

Bridging structure check

A £325,000 loan against a £500,000 property

Within reference
65% loan-to-value, against a 70% illustrative reference point
Equity remaining
£175,000
Headroom to 70% LTV
£25,000
Security
UK property
£500,000
£325,000

Within a 70% illustrative LTV reference point.

A £325,000 loan against a £500,000 property is 65% loan-to-value; equity remaining £175,000.

Security risk: Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a loan secured against it.

Check eligibilityCosts and exit

In brief

The short answer first.

The five things a director would tell you on a first call. Everything below is the detail behind them.

Check eligibility in 2–3 minutes

Cashbook Finance · Bridging finance

Term sheet, in brief

Indicative · confirmed in writing before you commit

Who it’s for
UK businesses and property investors. Business bridging only, never a home you or your family live in
How much
Short-term loans up to £1 million, secured on property
How long
Typically 3–24 months
What it costs
Interest plus arrangement, exit, valuation and legal costs, set out before you commit
How it’s repaid
The loan is repaid in one payment, from a sale or a refinance

Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a loan secured against it.

Download the product sheetPDF · 440 KB

The simple version

What is bridging finance?

Sometimes an opportunity or deadline arrives before your long-term funding is ready. A property comes up at auction; a buyer pulls out of your chain; a refurbishment needs paying for. A bridge gives you the money quickly, and you repay it once the longer-term solution lands.

An everyday analogy: it’s the stepping stone across a stream. The bridge gets you to the other side – the sale or the mortgage – quickly and safely, then you step off it. It’s meant to be temporary by design.

In plain English · Bridging financeA short-term loan (typically 3–24 months) secured against property – buy-to-let, unoccupied residential investment, commercial property or land. It completes in days or weeks rather than months, and is repaid in one go when you sell the property or refinance onto a mortgage. Interest can often be “rolled up”, so there may be nothing to pay each month. For a shorter overview, see our bridging loan guide, or review common funding questions.

Cashbook Finance facts. Cashbook Finance provides short-term property-backed bridging finance to UK businesses and property investors. Assessment focuses on property value, loan-to-value, borrower circumstances, security, legal due diligence and a credible exit such as sale or refinance. Terms and completion timing are case-specific, and bridging finance is secured against property. Cashbook Finance provides business bridging only: it does not offer regulated bridging loans secured on a home the borrower or a close family member lives in.

Your deadline · a bridge or a mortgage

4 weeks

A bridge can often complete in time; a typical mortgage, at 8–12+ weeks, would miss this deadline.

A bridgeDays

Funds arrive fast enough to hit an auction or chain deadline.

A typical mortgage8–12+ wks

Application, underwriting and valuation before any money moves.

When to use it

The moments a bridge makes sense.

  • Auction purchase

    Won a property at auction? You usually have just 28 days to complete. A bridge gets you there; refinance later.

  • Investment purchase

    Bridge a time-sensitive business or investment acquisition while sale proceeds or longer-term funding are pending.

  • Refurbishment

    Buy and renovate a property a mortgage won’t lend on yet, then sell or refinance once it’s done.

  • Development exit

    A finished or nearly-finished development needs more time to sell – a bridge replaces expiring development finance.

  • Below-market deal

    Move quickly on a keen price that depends on a fast completion.

  • Business raise

    Release short-term capital against property you own, with a clear plan to repay.

How it works

From enquiry to funds, fast.

  1. 1

    Tell us the deal & the exit

    The property, how much you need, and how you’ll repay – a sale or a refinance. The exit is the heart of every bridge.

  2. 2

    We agree terms quickly

    We review the property, loan-to-value and proposed exit. We target an initial fit response within one working day once enough headline information is available; indicative terms may follow after sufficient evidence.

  3. 3

    Valuation & legals

    A valuation and legal work confirm the security. Timing depends on valuation, title, legal work, security and the quality of the exit evidence.

  4. 4

    Funds released, then repaid

    The loan completes and you use the money. When your sale or refinance lands, you repay in a single payment.

Built backwards from a credible exit. Every bridge is built around a credible exit – a sale or a refinance. That’s what keeps the timeline short and the structure simple. Bridging exit strategies

Exit timeline

Plan the exit before the term runs.

Set your own timings: how long until completion, the loan term, and when the sale or refinance should complete. The timeline also tests the exit three months late, as our guides recommend. Example rate: 1% a month.

Your bridge Inside the term
  • Completionin about 4 weeks
  • Exitmonth 9
  • Exit, 3 months latemonth 12
  • Term endsmonth 12

Completion in about 4 weeks; a 12-month term then runs to month 12. Your exit in month 9 lands inside the term, with room for a three-month delay. At the example rate of 1% a month, each month of delay adds about 1% of the gross loan in interest, before any extension fees.

Start an applicationOr work out the costs and exit first.

Fit check

The exit matters more than the headline rate.

Signals we look for

Likely a good fit if

  • You have a property purchase, refinance or refurbishment deadline.
  • The security is clear and can be valued quickly.
  • You can explain how the loan will be repaid before drawdown.
  • You need speed and certainty more than long-term pricing.

Sounds like you? Check eligibility

Danger signs to solve first

  • The exit is vague, speculative or dependent on too many assumptions.
  • The loan-to-value leaves no margin for valuation or cost movement.
  • You are using bridging because affordability does not work elsewhere.
  • The property title, valuation or legal route is not clean.

Lending judgement

When bridging creates more risk than it solves.

Bridging is the wrong tool when the exit is uncertain or the required term is really long-term. Speed does not compensate for weak security, thin headroom or an unsupported repayment plan.

What we need to review bridging finance.

  • Property address, tenure and estimated value
  • Purchase price, refinance amount or outstanding debt
  • Deposit or equity position
  • Valuation, agent evidence or comparable sales where available
  • Clear exit route: sale, refinance or another documented repayment source

What slows or weakens the case

  • A vague or speculative exit
  • Title, planning, legal or valuation uncertainty
  • LTV with no room for cost or valuation movement

Upload them in the client portal, encrypted in transit and at rest

Checklists: bridging finance preparation (PDF · 220 KB) and property exit route (PDF · 210 KB)

Proof you can check

Judge us on the record.

“The costs and conditions were explained clearly from the beginning. When the valuation changed the original assumptions, the team addressed the issue directly and helped us understand what would be required to proceed.”

Property Investor, LondonResidential property investment

View all case studiesBridging finance in London

Bridging financeVerified anonymised case study · Residential property investment

Short-term funding supports refurbishment before sale

An experienced property investor needed short-term funding to complete the purchase and refurbishment of a vacant residential property before placing it on the open market.

Amount range
£350,000–£500,000 gross loan
What changed
The initial refurbishment budget did not include an adequate contingency, and the valuation identified several works that needed to be completed before the property could be marketed effectively.
Outcome
The facility was resized to maintain an acceptable loan-to-value ratio, and the borrower increased the contingency contribution. The works were completed, and the property was prepared for sale in line with the agreed exit strategy.

Client voices

A bridging client, in their own words.

“The bridging costs, conditions and exit risks were explained before we committed. There were no unrealistic promises about completion or the future sale of the property.”

Property InvestorProperty investment

Verify before you share documents. Three independent registers hold the record for this firm. Cashbook Finance Limited is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority under Firm Reference Number 782472. Registered office: Cumberland House, 24–28 Baxter Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6HZ. Companies House 10723098: Active · incorporated 2017. ICO register ZB545200. The register links at the top of this page open each official record. All published figures are collected on the company facts page.

Worked example

The full cost of a bridge.

A £325,000 bridge against a £500,000 property, repaid by a sale in month 9 of a 12-month term.

Interest is the largest cost and grows with each month the exit takes. Every cost, explained.

The full cost of a bridge.: the figures
Property value£500,000
Gross loan (65% loan-to-value)£325,000
Arrangement fee, 1%, from the loan£3,250
Interest at 1% a month, rolled up, for 9 months£29,250
Repaid at exit (loan plus interest)£354,250
Cost before valuation and legal fees£32,500
If the exit is 3 months late+£9,750 in interest

Illustrative: interest at 1% a month, rolled up, and an arrangement fee of 1% of the loan. Valuation and legal costs are extra and quoted per case. Bridging finance is secured against property, which may be repossessed if repayments are not maintained.

Official sources

Official guidance and legislation on the rules this page refers to. They explain the rules in general; take advice on your own position.

Quick answers

Bridging FAQs.

Bridging loan guide See invoice finance Bridging loans in London Bridging finance costs explained Bridging finance glossary Case studies & reviews

How fast can it complete?

Often within days to a couple of weeks, depending on the valuation and legal work – fast enough for auction and investment-purchase deadlines.

What can I secure it against?

Buy-to-let, unoccupied residential investment, commercial property or land, via a first or second charge. Owner-occupied residential and consumer-purpose borrowing are outside Cashbook Finance’s scope.

How much can I borrow, and for how long?

Loans are sized to the property and your exit, on a first or second charge, at a sensible loan-to-value. Bridging is short-term by design – commonly 3 to 24 months – repaid when you sell or refinance.

What counts as an “exit”?

Your exit is simply how the loan is repaid – usually the sale of a property or refinancing onto a longer-term facility. A credible, realistic exit is the heart of every bridge, and we’ll stress-test it with you.

What does a bridge cost?

Interest (which can often be rolled up and paid on repayment), plus arrangement and legal/valuation fees – all set out clearly before you commit. We’ll also confirm any minimum interest period.

What’s the risk I should weigh?

A bridge is secured against property – your property may be repossessed if you don’t keep up repayments or can’t deliver your exit. That’s why we’re honest up front and only proceed when the plan genuinely stacks up.

What would stop a bridge from progressing?

A vague exit, weak valuation support, unclear title, unrealistic LTV or a repayment route that depends on too many assumptions.

What improves the decision?

A clear property address, realistic value evidence, defined exit route, deadline, solicitor details and explanation of funds already committed.

What should I prepare before applying?

Purchase or refinance details, property value evidence, charge position, requested loan amount, exit route and any legal deadline. See the bridging finance glossary for the terms.

Can I repay the bridge early?

Often, yes. Many bridges allow early repayment subject to a minimum interest period, and the exact terms are set out in the offer. Repaying early usually reduces the interest you pay, so plan the exit as precisely as you can.

Further reading

All guides on bridging finance

Start an application

Cross the gap, with the exit in view.

Start an application

Not sure yet? Check eligibility in 2–3 minutes, or talk to a director.
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