At Ultimate Finance our mission is to offer flexible funding solutions with a personal service to support our brokers and their clients based upon strong and long-lasting relationships.
When it comes to introducing a client to the right funding partner, expertise, speed and trust are key to success. This was never truer than when faced with a global pandemic and a property market freeze as a result of the restrictions imposed by the government. At the same time as construction sites shut down, planned transactions were suddenly paused and lenders started withdrawing their products from the mortgage, development and Bridging markets as they focussed on support for existing customers. Growing uncertainties over the direct and long-term impact of the national lockdowns resulted in brokers having to navigate new challenges with and on behalf of their clients.
This was the case for Andre Bartlett of Capital B Property Finance LTD whose client’s refurbishment loan with its existing lender had come to an end. As a result, the developer was facing the prospect of having to enter a re-finance agreement, incurring large costs in interest and fees because of the delay in completing the works on 2 properties due to the pandemic lockdown of the construction industry.
Andre explains ‘Having had a long-standing relationship with Craig Taylor at Ultimate Finance, I already knew they had been accredited for CBILS backed Bridging Finance and were actively providing funding to developers impacted by the current market challenges. After quickly discussing my client’s needs with him, I was confident that Craig could structure a facility and secure quick access to the required funding so that they could avoid any penalty payments.’
Regional Director Craig Taylor adds, ‘Looking back at the last few months, it has been a challenging time for brokers and their clients. As a lender, we leverage our relationships and expertise to not only deliver the right funding as quickly as possible but also remove as many pain points as we can for our brokers. At the time, Andre’s workload was extremely high due to such a complex and unique business environment, and I knew that by proactively dealing with his client directly, I could help take away some of the pressure he was under.’
Ultimate Finance provided the property developer with a Finish and Exit loan under its CBILS backed Bridging Finance accreditation within the client’s tight timescales. The funds helped to create some much-needed breathing space to allow for a higher standard of finish and find quality tenants to maximise rental income. With the loan interest being serviced, the client didn’t need to worry about gaps in their working capital and was able to move onto their next project immediately upon completion.
With government schemes ending earlier this year many lenders have reduced their bridging finance rates to continue to support developers in the property market. Ultimate Finance have also reduced our starting rates to a competitive 0.74% on LTV% and will continue to focus on our 5-star rated premium service levels and reputation for delivering what we promise in a quick and flexible manner. To us relationships with our brokers are the centre of the lending ecosystem that will enable businesses to recover: despite remaining uncertainty in the commercial real estate sector and with construction cost inflation rising significantly, we are confident that in working together with the broker community to offer access to liquidity and working capital through our finance solutions we will see businesses emerge stronger in the second half of the year and beyond.
Find out more about Ultimate Finance’s six types of Bridging Loan and receive a decision in principle within 24 hours and a fully credit backed offer within 72 hours for your clients by visiting https://ultimatefinance.co.uk/funding-solutions/bridging-loan
