Welcome to London Credit

The commercial property market in the UK is showing signs of resilience and growth. While lingering economic uncertainty remains, the sector continues to be a key driver, providing new opportunities for investors.

Unveiling new product rates and our development finance proposition at the upcoming Finance Professional (FP) Show on November 8, 2024.

London Credit has launched a pilot of its Development Finance offering up to 70% LTGDV, which it will use to refine the proposition ahead of a full launch.

Following the general election and a welcome base rate reduction, both residential and commercial sectors are showing resilience.

The Intermediary speaks to Marios Theophanous, Credit Manager at London Credit, about the outlook for bridging finance.

For property developers, the future looks positive.

London Credit has strengthened its team with the recruitment of three new team hires.

At London Credit, we are launching a new Buy to Let product to help property investors ride out a period of uncertainty in the market

BestAdvice fires the questions at Marios Theophanous

At London Credit we have announced a substantial year-on-year improvement in our completion times.

We have increased the maximum LTV on our residential loans from 70% to 75%.

Brokers with clients looking for higher-yielding assets investments should talk to those bridging lenders who operate in the semi-commercial space.

London Credit has introduced its latest promotion, namely Best 4 U offers, offering brokers the flexibility to tailor offers to their clients' needs.

Commercial bridging can be almost as fast as residential bridging finance. It is ideal for those who want to take advantage of the predicted ‘opportunistic phase’ in the first half of 2024.

Bridging finance can be a great solution for those looking to branch out into semi-commercial, with the positive attributes that are associated with residential bridging equally applicable to semi-commercial bridging finance.

It’s important that investors do their homework before embarking on the HMO journey. At London Credit, we’re very experienced in providing funds for HMOs and brokers whose clients are in the market should get in touch with their local BDM.

Property investors who are looking to expand their portfolios have a window of opportunity and bridging finance can help them to move quickly.

Reports from the market are that securing a bridging loan is becoming harder, with lenders asking more questions and considering each application with more scrutiny.

Learn more about the property investment avenues and the attractive opportunities and risks they all offer.

Exit development loans have been designed to suit the market they serve from the ground up.

While both light and heavy refurbishment bridging loans offer valuable solutions for property developers and investors in the UK, they cater to different project scales and complexities.

In today’s challenging market, investors are finding better opportunities for strong yields in the commercial property sector. Brokers worth their salt will be helping their clients source commercial bridging finance by partnering with a lender who has both the appetite and track record in commercial lending, while also doing their bit to keep local high streets alive.

Bridging finance is the perfect solution for funding auction purchases, so what do investors need to know?

For financing an HMO conversion, bridging loans can be the ideal solution, covering the purchase and conversion costs, before switching to a specialist buy-to-let term loan.

Landlords shouldn’t be fearful of EPC rules; they are going to happen and it’s going to be cheaper in the long run to tackle them now.

After years of speculation, details of the Renters (Reform) Bill have finally been announced.

Many landlords who aren’t exiting the market see opportunities for portfolio growth and bridging can a key part to play in making this happen.

What options do Buy-to-Let landlords have if they want to improve the returns that they are able to achieve on a property investment?

Bridging has again demonstrated its resilience amidst challenging economic conditions. 

Our sector rightly has a positive reputation, and it is underpinned by a professionalism which is found throughout all ASTL lenders.

The importance of effective communication is something we consistently talk about at London Credit.

The importance of the exit in bridging finance cannot be overstated. It is fundamental to the success of an application and needs to be monitored for viability purposes throughout the course of the project – especially in the current economic climate.

We have written in the past about the need for contingencies but it’s worth reiterating the message that brokers must ensure their clients possess several exit strategies for their bridging loan cases. The deteriorating economic climate and decelerating property market have rendered 'plan A' less reliable, making it crucial to establish 'plan B' and even 'plan C.' 

At London Credit, all of our bridging rates are fixed rates, because we believe they offer certainty and transparency.

From our experience at London Credit, we believe that the property investment market is still buoyant. With new home purchases relatively low, the private rented sector is standing firm.

How do brokers establish who are the players to deal with and who are best avoided?

Business owners will time and time again state that certainty is a key consideration. What they don’t want are constant changes in regulation or tax regimes amongst other things.

I often feel that financial services are a sector that suffers from an overuse of abbreviations and acronyms more than most. For example, I’ve already used three TLAs (three-letter acronyms) this morning – LTV, OMV, ICR – and it’s not even 9 am.

Looking back on the year, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that things are tougher all around for everyone. The most recent Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee meeting saw yet another hike in rates, this time to 3.0%.

When you’re in the middle of a crisis, it’s sometimes hard to imagine that it will ever end. However, all things do pass, and it’s well worth reminding oneself of this sentiment, especially when in the midst of political and economic turmoil, such as we face today.

While borrowers understandably regard rate as one of the most important factors when looking for a bridging lender, brokers know how critical service is having a satisfied customer.

While the cliché about the British and their fixation with queuing may have some merit, it would be wrong to assume that this means they love to wait. No one likes for things to take longer than they have to and that certainly applies to the property market.

The bridging market has historically had a mixed reputation, with reports of some lenders lacking transparency when it comes to fees and charges.

At London Credit, we want to stress the importance of brokers maintaining a dialogue with clients in this challenging economic environment once a loan has been drawn down.

This uncertainty is yet to translate to the property market in any meaningful way. Rightmove says the average asking price of property coming to market hit its sixth consecutive record of £369,968 in June and has revised its full-year 2022 house price forecast up from 5% growth to 7%.

The vast majority of bridging lenders continue to display a healthy appetite for new business and pricing is still competitive, despite the rising interest rate environment we are currently faced with. At London Credit, we haven’t seen a drop-off in applications and there has been no drop-off in quality either.

Increasingly, buy-to-let landlords are looking at the yields that others are getting from Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) with envy.

As we continue to mentally readjust to life after the worst of the pandemic, we find the property development market at an interesting place in time. As far as interest in bridging goes, things are recovering well. At London Credit for example, we are receiving a constant stream of enquiries from brokers.

Capital cities are usually – but not always (think Canberra) – the economic epicentre and cultural lifeblood of a country. For the UK, London is so much more than that. It is a genuine ‘world city’ and in surveys its inhabitants often say they feel more affinity to residents of New York than Leeds or Birmingham, for example.

Speak to anyone in the specialist market at the moment, and you’ll get a similar story. The desire from investors to purchase property, whether with the intention of doing it up and selling it on or retaining it for the long term, is as strong as ever.

There is a real feeling of business getting back to normal at the moment across the bridging industry. It’s not just because of the excellent levels of activity we are still seeing, even after that first Stamp Duty holiday has passed, but also because of the return to face-to-face industry events.

Here is a real feeling of business getting back to normal at the moment across the bridging industry. It’s not just because of the excellent levels of activity we are stil

It’s been an astonishing year for the property market. Despite the inevitable difficulties of the pandemic, the Stamp Duty holiday has spurred a significant level of activity. It’s not just meant that brokers and lenders have formidable workloads; it’s also pushed house prices up sharply.

The pandemic has forced all of us to spend far more time at home over the last year and a half, causing our homes to double as our workplaces and even as schools for our children.

London Credit has launched an Extend or Convert Refurb product for property investors who want to increase value by adding space or changing the use of a property.

Business development managers (BDM) are an integral part of the mortgage market, acting as the voice and face for lenders who appreciate the intermediary market.

It would be easy to think that demand from overseas buyers is likely to drop in the months ahead. April sees the introduction of a new Stamp Duty surcharge for those purchasing a UK property from abroad, with buyers having to put up an extra 2% compared to domestic buyers.

"Quick transactions don’t happen by accident. It’s only through the broker, borrower and lender working closely together that we see such rapid turnarounds."

Stamp duty has been a big topic of discussion for everyone in the property market of late, thanks to the ‘will they, won’t they’ over a possible extension to the stamp duty holiday which was due to end at the start of April.

The clock is ticking on the Government’s Stamp Duty holiday. Last summer Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that no Stamp Duty would be charged on the first £500,000 of any purchase made before the end of March 2021.

London Credit has relaunched its auction finance product, where an offer can be issued prior to the auction so that a potential buyer has surety of funds should their bid be successful.

Estate agents back in April (when the UK was in lockdown and the property market was frozen) were forecasting that house prices would fall by up to 10% in the short term.

London Credit is a London-based lender providing business bridging loans to British residents secured against commercial and residential property.

The bridging market is continuing to face unprecedented times.

Recent research shows that the bridging market witnessed a 45% fall in gross bridging loa

Back in business!!

Good relationships with brokers, valuers, surveyors and solicitors are crucial to smooth and successful bridging transactions.

It was a great pleasure for us to attend the Finance Professional Show 2019.

The number of lenders operating in the short- term finance market has grown enormously in recent years.

It was yet another successful event for London Credit at the NACFB (National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers) Commercial Finance Expo.

As proud NACFB Patrons, we invite you to visit this year’s Commercial Finance Expo in Birmingham on the 19th of June.

It is beyond doubt that the word “Brexit” is one of the most significant unknown variables for which all businesses are trying to prepare.

European and global investors are looking for more innovative investment opportunities that are proven to add value to their portfolio. One such option is to invest in property-secured loans and one of the most favourable in recent years is the UK bridging finance lending market for business purposes. 

The UK Macro-Economic Outlook

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets policy to meet the inflation t

London Credit is delighted to announce completion on its biggest bridging loan to date, marking a new milestone for the company since

We are excited to announce the two winners of our prize draw at this year’s NACFB Commercial Finance Expo!

Bridging finance continues its rise as a truly effective funding option. Industry bodies have reported a record year in 2017

As NACFB Patrons and proud sponsors of the Bridging Finance Day 2018 on the 25th of January,

We are very proud to have co-hosted with NACFB the succesful event Bridging Finance Day 2018.

London Credit, a well-established Bridging Finance company is looking
to recruit a dynamic Business Development Manager to join their
expanding team based in London

Today we have some great news to announce! Consulco Finance is rebranding as London Credit.

London Credit completes another complicated case with approval within 2 weeks

London Credit assisted with the purchase of an investment property for which the applicant had only 2 weeks to complete.

London Credit has provided a £3.3m loan to assist with the purchase of a mixed use property at Walthamstow.