Mint Property Finance

Mint Bridging rebranded as Mint Property Finance in 2021. The rebrand reflected the evolution of the business from a pure bridging lender into a broader specialist property finance operation. At the point of rebranding, approximately 50% of the business was already funding development projects or loans with a refurbishment angle, making the old name an incomplete description of what the business actually did. The new name covers the five core product lines: bridging, light works, medium works, heavy works, and development finance.

The rebrand was the first step in a three-year commercial strategy. The management team, led by founder Andrew Lazare, remained the same. The headquarters stayed at Peel House in Altrincham, Cheshire. The private funding model and the underwriting approach carried over unchanged. For brokers and borrowers who knew the business as Mint Bridging, the experience and service continued as before under the new name. The old website at mintbridging.co.uk still carries basic information, but the current site is mintpropertyfinance.co.uk.

Most bridging lenders fund their loans through institutional credit facilities provided by banks or fund managers. Those facilities come with conditions set by the funder: maximum LTVs, property type restrictions, borrower eligibility rules, and credit criteria. The lender must operate within those conditions even if their own underwriting team believes a case has merit. This creates a gap between what the lender would like to do and what the funder allows them to do. Private funding removes that gap entirely.

Mint Property Finance is funded by private capital rather than institutional bank facilities. This means the underwriting team can assess and approve a case on its own merits without needing to check whether a bank funder's criteria are satisfied. The practical consequences for borrowers are faster decisions (no funder approval layer), greater flexibility on credit (no funder-imposed credit scoring), and a willingness to consider property types and structures that institutionally funded lenders may not be able to accommodate. Aldermore has provided a supplementary multi-million-pound facility, but the core lending decisions remain with Mint's own team.

The 90% LTV refurbishment product, launched in 2025, is calculated against the gross development value of the property after works are complete, not against the current market value. If a borrower is purchasing a property for £150,000 and the estimated value after refurbishment is £220,000, the 90% GDV calculation applies to the £220,000 figure, giving a maximum advance of £198,000. This is enough to cover the purchase price and a substantial portion of the works cost from day one, without needing to fund works from personal cash or arrange a separate mezzanine facility.

The product is available in England and Wales only, on residential kerbside houses and flats. The maximum loan is £500,000. There is no minimum term, meaning a borrower who completes the works and exits quickly pays interest only for the period the loan was in place. Refurbishment funds are released from the outset rather than through staged drawdowns. For portfolio landlords doing value-add refurbishment as a business model, this structure maximises leverage per project and reduces the working capital requirement. The LTV and equity calculator can help model the numbers on a specific deal.

Yes. Mint Property Finance considers all credit histories across its product range. The business does not publish a minimum credit score or an adverse units threshold. Each case is assessed individually by the underwriting team, with the security, exit strategy, and borrower experience weighed alongside the credit profile. On the commercial bridge specifically, heavy adverse credit is accepted where the exit strategy is sale rather than refinance, because a confirmed sale exit reduces the lender's exposure to the borrower's ongoing credit position.

The private funding model is particularly relevant here. Institutionally funded lenders often have credit criteria imposed by their funders that they cannot override even when the underwriting team believes the case is sound. Mint's private funding removes that constraint. A borrower with significant adverse credit but a strong deal, sufficient equity, and a credible exit can receive a fair hearing. A broker familiar with Mint's underwriting appetite can assess viability before a formal submission is made. The guide to secured loans for bad credit explains how specialist lenders approach impaired credit profiles.

Many bridging lenders charge a minimum interest period regardless of when the loan redeems. A three-month minimum means that even if the borrower repays in six weeks, they pay three months of interest. A six-month minimum doubles that floor. Mint's standard bridge and 90% LTV refurbishment product have no minimum term, meaning interest is charged only for the period the loan is actually outstanding. A borrower who completes within four weeks pays four weeks of interest and no more.

This matters most for borrowers with a fast, certain exit. An auction buyer who purchases a property and refinances onto a buy-to-let mortgage within two months benefits significantly from the absence of a minimum interest charge. The total cost of the bridge is directly proportional to how long it is in place, with no floor inflating the bill. For borrowers whose exit timeline is less certain, the no-minimum-term structure still provides a benefit: it removes the risk of paying for time the loan was not needed if the exit completes earlier than expected.

Yes. Mint Property Finance launched its Scotland Bridge in August 2021, extending coverage north of the border for the first time. The Scotland-specific product covers standard bridging on loans from £75,000 to £1,000,000, with higher amounts considered in city centre locations. Rates start from 0.40% per month. Scottish property law differs from English and Welsh law in several important respects, including the process for registering charges and the legal framework for repossession, and the Scotland Bridge is designed to accommodate those differences.

At launch, the Scotland Bridge was the first Mint product available in Scotland. The business stated its intention to roll out the broader product suite to Scotland over time. Whether the refurbishment, commercial, and development products are currently available in Scotland should be confirmed directly with Mint's underwriting team or through a broker familiar with the current position. The guide to bridging loans covers how bridging works across the UK including the differences in Scottish property law.

No. All Mint Property Finance products are currently unregulated. This means they are for investment and business purposes only and are not suitable for a borrower who lives in or intends to live in the property being used as security. At the time of the 2021 rebrand, the business announced plans to introduce regulated products within 12 to 18 months. Whether that has been implemented should be confirmed directly with Mint or through a specialist broker.

If you need a regulated bridge (for example, to prevent a chain break on your primary residence, or to purchase a new home before selling your current one), a different lender is required. Several specialist bridging lenders in the market offer both regulated and unregulated products. A broker can identify the right lender for your specific situation and confirm whether the purpose of your loan falls within the regulated or unregulated category.

Development loans are available up to £2,500,000 for terms up to 24 months. The range covers ground-up residential development, conversions, and large extension projects. The JV with Mark Abrahams of West One Loans, established in 2016, brought specific expertise in structuring and pricing development schemes into the business. A specialist development underwriting team was created as part of the 2021 rebrand to ensure development applications receive dedicated assessment.

Development finance from Mint sits alongside the refurbishment range and standard bridging as part of an integrated property finance platform. A developer buying a site on a standard bridge and moving into a development loan for the build phase can work with a single lender across both stages. The privately funded model gives the development team the same decision-making flexibility that applies across Mint's bridging and refurbishment products: cases are assessed on their merits rather than filtered through institutional funder criteria.