MT Finance

A regulated bridge is required where the borrower lives in the property or intends to live in it, whether as a primary residence or a home for a close family member. The most common examples are buying a new home before an existing one has sold, purchasing at auction when a conventional mortgage cannot complete in time, and raising short-term capital against a home you occupy. Regulated bridging carries consumer protections enforced by the FCA, including the right to refer complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service. MT Finance's regulated bridging is capped at a 12-month term and interest must be retained rather than serviced monthly.

An unregulated bridge is used for investment and business purposes where the borrower does not occupy the security. Buy-to-let purchases, commercial property acquisitions, refurbishment of investment properties, and development projects all fall into the unregulated category. Unregulated bridges from MT Finance can run for up to 24 months and offer more flexible interest options including serviced and part-and-part as well as retained. The unregulated maximum loan on residential first charge reaches £10 million, significantly above the £2.5 million limit on regulated loans. MT Finance is unusual among specialist bridging lenders in actively offering both types through the same underwriting team.

Rates are tiered by loan-to-value and are published in MT Finance's product guide. On unregulated residential first charge loans, the rate starts at 0.74% per month at up to 55% LTV and rises in steps to 0.89% per month at up to 70% LTV. Second charge unregulated residential rates start at 0.85% at up to 60% LTV and rise to 0.90% at up to 65% LTV. Semi-commercial runs at 0.89% up to 65% LTV and 0.95% up to 70% LTV. Commercial starts at 0.85% at up to 55% LTV. Heavy refurbishment is priced at 0.99% per month at up to 65% LTV. On regulated first charge loans, rates are 0.89% at up to 65% LTV and 0.95% at up to 70% LTV.

All rates are subject to change and the rates above are based on the February 2026 product guide. The facility fee is 2% of the loan amount (minimum £2,000) and an admin fee of £879 applies, both deducted on completion. Loans below £125,000 are subject to a minimum interest rate of 1.05% per month regardless of LTV. Procuration fees are payable to introducing brokers from 1% of the loan amount. The guide to loan fees explains how total costs on a bridging loan are typically structured.

No. MT Finance does not charge early repayment charges or exit fees on any of its bridging products, whether regulated or unregulated. A borrower who completes a purchase on a bridge and refinances onto a buy-to-let mortgage or standard mortgage sooner than expected can redeem the loan without penalty beyond the interest accrued to the redemption date. The minimum loan term is one month; a borrower who redeems in less than a month will be charged one month of interest as a minimum.

This matters most for borrowers who are unsure of their exact exit timeline, particularly those who are refinancing subject to a long-term lender completing their underwriting. The absence of ERCs removes one of the main risks associated with bridging: the possibility of being trapped paying the bridge rate while a remortgage or sale takes longer than anticipated. For borrowers with a clear and imminent exit, it also means the bridge can be structured for the minimum term needed rather than padding the term to avoid penalty risk.

MT Finance's published service commitment is that when a broker submits a case, the new business team will issue indicative terms within the hour. This means a decision in principle with the key loan parameters, rate, LTV, and structure, rather than a binding mortgage offer. It is a speed benchmark for the early stage of the application process, not a commitment to fund. The purpose is to give brokers and their clients certainty on the basic terms quickly, so that parallel steps like instructing solicitors and arranging the valuation can begin without delay.

The time from submitted case to issued terms is one of the most consequential variables in bridging, particularly on time-sensitive transactions such as auctions and chain breaks. A lender that takes several days to confirm terms slows every downstream step. MT Finance's one-hour target compresses this stage of the process significantly. From terms to funding, the overall timeline depends on the valuation method (AVM cases are faster than full valuations), the complexity of the legal work, and how quickly the borrower returns documentation. MT Finance assigns a dedicated underwriter to each case from submission, which reduces the hand-off delays that can slow more complex cases at established lenders.

The heavy refurbishment bridge is designed for properties that require significant structural or conversion work that would prevent a standard mortgage or a light refurbishment bridge from being used. This includes structural alterations, full conversions from commercial to residential, splitting houses into multiple units, and projects involving change of use where planning consent has been obtained. MT Finance funds 100% of the build costs alongside the initial property advance, so the borrower does not need to fund works from their own cash flow during the project.

The loan is structured with staged drawdowns: the initial advance covers the property purchase or refinance, and further tranches are released in stages as works are completed and certified by a surveyor. This means interest is only charged on the drawn amount at each stage rather than on the full facility from day one. The gross development value cap ensures that the total debt does not exceed a defined proportion of the end value of the completed project. The maximum loan is £500,000 and terms run to 24 months. Rates are 0.99% per month at up to 65% LTV. Both regulated and unregulated routes are available depending on whether the borrower intends to occupy the property.

Yes. MT Finance states that CCJs and arrears are considered on both regulated and unregulated bridging applications. This applies across most product types, including residential, semi-commercial, commercial, and regulated bridging. The lending approach is described as common-sense underwriting: the team will assess the case on its individual merits rather than applying a rigid credit score threshold. A borrower with a CCJ who can demonstrate a credible exit strategy and adequate equity in the security property may well be approved, while a borrower with a clean credit history but a weak exit or insufficient equity may face more challenge.

This does not mean that all adverse credit is automatically acceptable. Severe or very recent adverse entries, or cases with multiple adverse markers in combination with limited equity, may still be declined or offered reduced LTVs. A broker with experience of MT Finance's underwriting appetite will be able to assess likely viability before a formal application is submitted, which is the most efficient way to test whether a specific adverse credit profile is workable. The guide to secured loans for bad credit covers how specialist lenders typically approach impaired credit profiles.

Yes. On unregulated bridging, MT Finance accepts borrowers who are non-EEA nationals, expatriates, and offshore companies, as well as UK-registered limited companies and LLPs. This makes MT Finance accessible for property investors who hold assets through offshore structures or who are not UK nationals, a situation that many mainstream and some specialist lenders cannot accommodate. The same rate and LTV tiers apply regardless of borrower nationality or corporate structure, though additional due diligence documentation will typically be required to satisfy anti-money laundering requirements.

On regulated bridging, MT Finance accepts expats. Regulated loans are more restricted by their nature since they require a borrower who has, or intends to have, a residential connection to the security property in the UK. An expat who owns a UK property and is bridging it ahead of returning to live there, or ahead of a sale, would be a typical regulated expat case. A broker familiar with MT Finance's approach to international borrowers is the best route to establishing the precise documentation and structure required for a specific case.

Yes. MT Finance Limited (Company No. 06622832) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The business is headquartered at The Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London EC2A 2EW. You can verify MT Finance's regulatory status on the FCA's Financial Services Register at register.fca.org.uk. MT Finance is also a signatory of the Women in Finance Charter and a member of the Association of Short Term Lenders.

The FCA's authorisation covers MT Finance's regulated bridging products, which carry full consumer protections including access to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Unregulated bridging loans, for investment and business purposes, are not subject to the same consumer-specific protections, though MT Finance applies its own Consumer Duty standards to all products. All brokers introducing cases to MT Finance must themselves hold appropriate FCA permissions. The distinction between regulated and unregulated loans and what it means for consumer protections is covered in the guide to bridging loans.