The buyer below you pulled out
Your sale collapses days before exchange and the purchase you have worked towards for months is suddenly at risk.
Chain break finance
Chain break bridging
Chain break bridging is a short-term loan that lets you buy your next property before your existing one has sold, using the equity in the property you are selling as security. It is repaid from the sale proceeds, normally within a few months.
Whole case packaged for you
Fees disclosed upfront
Brokers, not a lender
Get an indicative quote
Step 2 of 8What’s the bridge for?
This tells us which lenders will look at it.
When it is used
Situations we see most often
You found the right house first
The property you want is on the market now and the seller will not wait for you to find a buyer.
Downsizing on your own terms
Moving first and selling afterwards, so you are not negotiating from a position of having to accept any offer.
Who it suits
- Homeowners with substantial equity in the property they are selling
- Buyers who have had a chain collapse close to exchange
- People downsizing who want to move before they sell
- Anyone who has found a property that will not stay available
| Typical terms | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Term | Typically 6 to 12 months |
| Security | The property being sold, the property being bought, or both |
| Maximum gross LTV | Usually up to 75% across the combined security |
| Interest | Usually rolled up or retained, so there is nothing to pay monthly |
| Exit | Completion of the sale of your existing property |
| Regulation | Usually a regulated bridging loan where the security is your home |
Indicative ranges based on typical specialist market terms. Your actual terms depend on the property, your circumstances and the lender the case is placed with.
How Amram handles it
What we actually do for you
We are brokers. We do not lend our own money — we package your case and place it with the lender most likely to fund it, then manage it to completion.
The conversation
We look at both properties, the equity you hold, the price you expect and how the sale is progressing.
Packaging
We package the case around the sale: the agent’s marketing evidence, any offers received and the position of the chain.
Lender sourcing
We approach lenders comfortable with regulated bridging on a main residence, which is a narrower group than unregulated bridging.
Valuation and legals
We coordinate valuations on both properties and work with your conveyancer on both transactions at once.
Completion and exit
The purchase completes. When your sale goes through, the bridge is repaid from the proceeds.
What you’ll need
Have these ready and it moves faster
The single biggest cause of delay is a case assembled as it goes. We will ask for these at the start so the file is lender-ready before it is submitted.
- Photo ID and proof of address
- Details of both properties, including the agreed purchase price
- Your estate agent’s marketing details and valuation for the property being sold
- Any offers received, and the position of the rest of the chain
- Details of any existing mortgage on the property you are selling
- Your conveyancer’s details for both transactions
Situations
Does one of these sound like you?
Illustrative situations rather than client case studies — the kinds of enquiry this market sees, and what usually works in each.
“My buyer pulled out days before exchange and I could lose the house I am buying”
The sale of your current home has fallen through and the purchase is about to collapse with it.
What usually works“I am downsizing and want to buy before I sell”
You want to move on your own terms rather than accept whatever offer arrives under time pressure.
What usually works“My mortgage offer expired before we completed”
The chain took longer than the offer lasted and the lender will not simply extend it.
What usually worksQuestions
Frequently asked
Is chain break bridging regulated?
Where the loan is secured against the home you live in or intend to live in, it is generally a regulated bridging loan and the protections that come with FCA regulation apply. We will confirm which category your case falls into, and who can act on it, before you commit to anything.
What if my property takes longer to sell than expected?
Terms are usually set with headroom for exactly this. If the sale slips you should tell us early — extensions are often possible, but interest normally increases once a facility runs past term.
Do I need to make monthly payments?
Usually not. Most chain break loans use rolled-up or retained interest so nothing is payable until the sale completes, which matters when you are already carrying an existing mortgage.
Can I borrow against both properties?
Yes. Taking a charge over both the property being sold and the one being bought spreads the security, which often lowers the effective loan to value and improves the rate.
How much will it cost overall?
It depends on the loan size and how long it runs. The honest comparison is against the cost of losing the purchase entirely, or accepting a materially lower offer on your sale because you are under pressure. Our calculator shows the full cost including every fee.
What if my sale falls through completely?
The bridge still has to be repaid, so the exit needs to be realistic from the start. If the property is priced optimistically or has been on the market a long time, we will say so before arranging anything.
Keep reading
Related pages and guides
Residential bridging
Bridging secured against a home you live in or will live in.
View pageBridging finance
Short-term funding secured on property, from 1 to 24 months.
View pageResidential mortgages
Purchases, remortgages and first-time buyers.
View pageBridging Loan Exit Strategies Explained
Sale, refinance or something else: how lenders underwrite your exit, what evidence they want, and what happens if the exit slips.
Read the guideWhat Is a Bridging Loan and How Does It Work?
A plain-English explanation of bridging finance: what it is, how lenders price it, when it makes sense and what it costs in practice.
Read the guideBridging loan calculator
Work out the gross loan, LTV, interest and every fee before you speak to anyone.
Open the calculatorTalk the deal through
Free deal review by a specialist. We will tell you what is achievable, what it is likely to cost and what the lender will want to see.
Amram Finance Ltd is a credit broker, not a lender. We do not lend our own money and we do not approve or issue loan offers. Chain break bridging secured on your own home is usually a regulated mortgage contract.
Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a loan secured on it. Some forms of bridging finance and buy-to-let lending are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.