Bridging loan lenders · England & Wales
We are a Bridging loan lender
We are a direct bridging lender , lending between £75k to £10m across England and Wales and you deal directly with the decision-makers.
Direct or intermediary
Direct lenders, brokers and comparison platforms
When people search for bridge lenders they usually meet three kinds of business, and it pays to know which you are talking to. Each has a place but they carry your enquiry in very different ways, and that difference shows up in the rate you pay, the speed of your completion, and how reliable the terms are.
Direct bridge lenders
A direct lender uses its own funding to make the loan. The person who assesses your case is the person who prices it and, in a lean lender, the person who signs it off. Nothing is passed on for someone else to approve, so a direct lender can give you a firm view quickly and hold to the terms it quotes. Proxima Capital is a direct bridging lender.
Bridging loan brokers
A broker does not lend. They package your enquiry and place it with a lender, usually earning a fee or commission for doing so. A good broker earns their keep on a complex case, spreading a hard deal across a panel and knowing which lender says yes to what. The trade-off is a layer between you and the decision: the broker relays your case rather than approving it, and the lender’s terms can still move once your file lands on their desk.
Comparison platforms
Online platforms list indicative rates from a panel of lenders so you can compare at a glance. They are useful for a first sense of the market, but the numbers are headline figures, not offers, the real terms depend on the asset, the charge position and your exit, none of which a table can price. Treat a comparison as a starting point, then speak to the lender.
What to look for
How to compare bridging loan lenders
The best bridging loan is the one that actually completes on the terms quoted, in the time you have. When you weigh one lender against another, look past the monthly interest rate to the four things that decide whether a deal lands cleanly.
The real trade-off
Rate versus completion certainty
The cheapest quote is worthless if it does not complete in time. Bridging is used when speed decides the deal, an auction with a 28-day deadline, a chain about to break, a purchase that will not wait for a mortgage. In those situations the lender that gives you a firm answer and holds to it is worth more than the one advertising the lowest rate but with a slow, uncertain process behind it.
A rate quoted early can move if the lender re-prices when the valuation lands, questions the exit late, or finds its credit committee less keen than the salesperson. That is the risk you are really comparing: not just the number, but how likely it is to survive to completion. When you talk to a lender, ask what could change the terms between the quote and the day funds are drawn, a straight answer tells you a lot. For a fuller breakdown of the numbers, see our bridging loan rates and costs page.
Going direct
Why dealing directly with the decision-maker matters
Every layer between you and the person who approves the loan is a place where a case can slow down, get lost in translation, or come back with different terms. When you deal directly with the lender, the person answering your questions is the person weighing the risk. They can tell you on the same call whether the exit stacks up, what the loan to value will be, and where the awkward parts of the deal sit, because they own the answer, rather than relaying it.
That matters most when a deal is not textbook, an unusual security, a tight timeline, an exit that needs explaining. A direct conversation lets you make the case and get a real answer, not a policy tick-box. It also means one point of contact from decision in principle to completion, so nothing has to be re-explained to a new party halfway through.
How Proxima sits
A direct lender that can actually complete
Proxima Capital lends its own money directly across England and Wales, so the person who issues your decision in principle is the person who structures the loan, no broker chain, no terms that drift between quote and completion. Proxima was founded by highly experienced operators who have overseen in excess of £500m of property lending and you will deal directly with the decision-makers, get a prompt decision in principle within 24 hours. We work with best-in-class solicitors and market-leading title indemnity to keep completion fast and certain.
Warning signs
Red flags when comparing lenders
Most bridging lenders and brokers are straight, but a few habits should make you slow down. Watch for these before you commit:
- → A rate quoted with no mention of the arrangement fee, exit fee or valuation cost
- → Upfront fees taken before any credit-backed decision or terms in writing
- → Vague answers on who actually makes the lending decision, and how long it takes
- → Little interest in your exit the one thing that decides whether the loan is repaid
- → Terms that keep moving each time you speak, well before any valuation has happened
A lender that asks about your exit early, quotes the full cost of borrowing, and can name the person who signs the loan off is usually the safer bet, even at a marginally higher rate. Bridging is secured against property, so your property may be at risk if you do not keep up repayments on a loan secured against it; a lender who pressure-tests the exit up front is protecting you as well as themselves.
Explore
See how we lend, by case
Rates & costs
Monthly rates from 0.85%, fees, and the total cost of borrowing.
FAQs
Bridging lender questions, answered
Should I use a bridging loan broker or go direct to a lender?
It depends on the case. A good broker adds value on a complex deal that needs placing across a panel, or when you do not know which lenders suit your situation. If you already know a direct lender fits, and you want a firm answer and terms that hold, going direct removes a layer and puts you in front of the decision-maker. There is no single right answer; the deal and the timeline decide it.
Are bridging loans cheaper direct or through a broker?
Not automatically either way. A broker earns a fee or commission, which can add to the cost, but they may also secure terms you would not reach alone. Going direct removes the intermediary fee, though the lender’s rate is what it is. The honest comparison is the total cost of borrowing, rate plus every fee to completion, not the headline number on its own.
How do I compare bridging loan lenders fairly?
Put the monthly rate, arrangement fee, exit fee, valuation and legal costs side by side, then weigh them against completion certainty and speed. Ask each lender who makes the decision, how long it takes, and what could change the terms after a valuation. A firm decision that holds is worth more than a lower rate that drifts. Our bridging loan calculator helps you compare the numbers on a like-for-like basis.
Can I get a bridging loan through a limited company?
Yes. Much of our lending is to limited companies and SPVs holding investment or development property, which sits outside FCA consumer regulation as unregulated bridging. We lend to individuals, partnerships and corporate borrowers across England and Wales, assessed on the asset, the plan and the exit rather than a tick-box.
Are all bridging lenders regulated by the FCA?
No, and the distinction is set by the property’s use, not the lender. A regulated bridging loan is one secured against a property you or an immediate family member live in, or intend to, and falls under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. Bridging against investment or commercial property is unregulated. When you compare lenders, check they can handle the type of loan your case actually needs.
Have a deal in mind?
Tell us about it and you’ll get an honest, commercial view the same day, direct from the people who make the decisions.
