Buying before selling
Completing on a new home while the existing one is still on the market or in a chain.
Regulated bridging
Residential bridging loans
Residential bridging is a short-term loan secured against a property you live in or intend to live in, which normally makes it a regulated mortgage contract. Fewer lenders operate in this space than in unregulated bridging, and the process includes affordability and suitability checks that investment bridging does not.
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
Buying at auction to live in
A property bought at auction that you intend to occupy, where the 28-day deadline rules out a mortgage.
Renovating before moving in
A home that needs work before it is habitable, and therefore before a mainstream lender will lend on it.
Who it suits
- Homeowners who need to complete a purchase before their sale goes through
- Buyers of properties that are not currently habitable
- People who have bought at auction and intend to live in the property
- Borrowers whose mortgage offer was withdrawn close to completion
| Typical terms | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Term | Usually up to 12 months on regulated cases |
| Maximum gross LTV | Typically up to 70% to 75% |
| Interest | Usually retained or rolled up, so there is nothing to pay monthly |
| Regulation | Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority |
| Exit | Sale of the existing home, or a residential mortgage |
| Lender pool | Smaller than unregulated bridging |
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 go through your circumstances properly, because a regulated case requires a suitability assessment, not just a property assessment.
Packaging
We package income evidence, the exit, and the position of any related sale or onward mortgage application.
Lender sourcing
We approach lenders authorised for regulated bridging, which is a materially narrower panel.
Valuation and legals
We coordinate the valuation and the legal work, including the independent legal advice some lenders require.
Completion and exit
Completion, followed by the exit — your sale completing, or the residential mortgage we arrange to replace the bridge.
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 for every applicant
- Proof of income: payslips, or two years of accounts if self-employed
- Details of both properties, including any existing mortgage
- Evidence of your exit: the sale, or a mortgage decision in principle
- Your conveyancer’s details
- Bank statements, usually the last three months
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.
“The house I want to live in needs work before a lender will touch it”
You want to buy and live in a property that is not currently habitable, so a residential mortgage is unavailable.
What usually works“I won at auction and my mortgage lender has pulled out”
The hammer fell, the deposit is paid, and the lender has just withdrawn on condition or valuation.
What usually works“The property I bought is unmortgageable in its current state”
No kitchen, no bathroom, structural issues or a short lease — the high street has declined on condition.
What usually worksQuestions
Frequently asked
What makes a bridging loan regulated?
Broadly, a bridging loan is regulated when it is secured against a property that you or an immediate family member live in, or intend to live in. Bridging on a pure investment property is generally unregulated.
Why are there fewer lenders for regulated bridging?
Regulated lending requires specific FCA permissions and a more involved sales process, so not every bridging lender operates in the space. That makes broker access to the right panel more valuable, not less.
Will my income be assessed?
For a regulated bridge the lender must consider affordability and suitability, so yes — even where interest is rolled up and there are no monthly payments to make.
How long can a regulated bridging loan run?
Usually up to twelve months. Regulated bridging is designed as a genuine short-term arrangement with a defined exit, not an open-ended facility.
Can I use bridging to buy a home that is uninhabitable?
Yes. A property without a kitchen or bathroom, or in poor structural condition, will usually be declined by a mainstream lender. A bridge funds the purchase and the works, and you refinance onto a residential mortgage once it is habitable.
What protections do I have?
Regulated bridging carries the protections that come with FCA-regulated mortgage lending, including a suitability assessment and access to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Unregulated bridging does not, which is why we confirm which regime your case sits in at the outset.
Keep reading
Related pages and guides
Chain break
Complete on your purchase before your sale goes through.
View pageResidential mortgages
Purchases, remortgages and first-time buyers.
View pageBridging finance
Short-term funding secured on property, from 1 to 24 months.
View pageWhat 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 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 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. Residential bridging secured on your own home is 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.