High Net Worth Bridging Loans

High net worth clients have access to regulated bridging products that do not exist in the mainstream market. For borrowers who meet the FCA's HNW definition, two distinct solutions are available: extended-term regulated bridging of up to five years from a specialist lender, and private bank regulated bridging at up to 90% LTV from 0.3% per month. FD Commercial arranges both.

Why do high net worth borrowers need specialist bridging finance?

Standard regulated bridging has a 12-month maximum term at most lenders. That works for a chain break on a £600,000 semi in Bristol, where the existing property will sell within the year. It does not work for a client buying a new primary residence before selling a prime London townhouse that will realistically take 18 to 30 months to sell at the right price. It does not work for a matrimonial situation where financial settlement is ongoing. It does not work for a complex probate that will run for two to three years.

The LTV constraint is equally limiting. Standard regulated bridging caps at 75% LTV from most lenders. A client with a £10m property portfolio and income of £500,000 per year, who wants to bridge at 85% LTV because their capital is deployed elsewhere, has no meaningful options in the standard regulated market.

Both limitations dissolve for clients who qualify as high net worth under the FCA's definition.

What is the FCA definition of a high net worth borrower for bridging loans?

Under the FCA high net worth rules, the FCA defines a high net worth mortgage customer as an individual whose annual net income is at least £300,000, or whose net assets total at least £3,000,000. Net assets for this purpose include the equity in the primary residence and, in most cases, pension assets.

This status is not self-declared. Lenders require confirmation, typically through a statement from an accountant, solicitor, or independent financial adviser certifying that the client meets the criteria. Once confirmed, the client qualifies for products structured under the HNW provisions of the Mortgage Credit Directive, which allow lenders to apply different underwriting rules and offer terms that fall outside the standard regulated framework.

If you are unsure whether you qualify, the calculation is straightforward. Investment property equity, share portfolios, business interests, and cash savings all count towards the £3m threshold. Your home and pension do not.

What is extended-term regulated bridging and how does it work for high net worth clients?

Extended-term regulated bridging allows qualifying high net worth clients to access regulated bridging loans with terms of up to 60 months, a product not available in the mainstream regulated bridging market where most lenders cap at 12 months.

The five-year regulated bridge works because the HNW framework within the MCD allows the lender to structure the product differently for qualifying clients. It remains a fully regulated loan with all the consumer protections that entails, including access to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The difference is the term.

This product is available up to 70% LTV, with rates from around 0.57% per month at 50% LTV on standard residential security. On more complex properties including listed buildings, properties with significant acreage, or those requiring light refurbishment, rates adjust accordingly. Maximum loan size is £5m on this route.

The situations where a five-year regulated bridge is the right answer:

Prime property sales. High value properties in the prime and super-prime market sell in their own time. A client buying a new main residence before selling a Notting Hill townhouse or a country estate should not be forced to accept a distressed sale price to meet a 12-month exit deadline.

Matrimonial situations. Financial proceedings involving high net worth couples regularly take two to four years to resolve. A client who needs to fund continued occupation of a matrimonial home, or complete a purchase while proceedings run, needs a term that reflects that reality.

Probate and estate administration. Complex estates with multiple properties, business interests, and overseas assets can take years to administer. A regulated bridge that allows the estate to fund a beneficiary's primary residence purchase, with repayment from the eventual estate distribution, works where nothing else does.

Renovation of new primary residence. A client purchasing a substantial property that requires significant work before it is habitable, while their current home remains on the market. The renovation takes 18 months. The existing home sells at month 20. A standard 12-month regulated bridge runs out before either event completes.

What private bank regulated bridging is available to high net worth borrowers?

Private bank regulated bridging is available at up to 90% LTV from around 0.3% per month, with underwriting based on the client's full wealth picture rather than just the security property.

This relationship-based model unlocks two things unavailable elsewhere in the regulated market. First, LTVs of up to 90% on the right deal with the right client. Second, rates from around 0.3% per month, which are materially below what any specialist bridging lender can offer, because the private bank's risk assessment encompasses the full balance sheet rather than just the property.

A client with £8m in investment assets, a clean credit profile, and an existing private banking relationship who wants to bridge at 85% LTV on a new primary residence purchase is a straightforward proposition for a private bank. The same client would be declined or heavily loaded at a specialist bridging lender, because 85% LTV is above market maximum on the security-only basis those lenders use.

Private bank bridging on this basis is a regulated loan. It carries the same FCA protections as any regulated mortgage product. What changes is the underwriting lens and, consequently, the terms available.

This route is most appropriate where loan size is significant, typically £1m and above, and where the client either has an existing private banking relationship or is willing to establish one as part of the transaction. Our private bank bridging guide covers which banks offer this, how rates compare to specialist lenders by property type, and what the process looks like for both existing clients and new introductions.

For many HNW clients, borrowing at 90% LTV against the new property is the most efficient use of capital. Rather than liquidating an investment portfolio or pulling cash from a business to fund a larger deposit, the bridge preserves liquidity and allows other assets to continue working. The monthly interest cost is a known, manageable figure against income. The exit is the eventual sale or refinance. This is why high LTV regulated bridging is frequently the preferred structure for high earners, not a last resort.

One area where private bank routes require specialist broker involvement is complex income. Bonuses, carried interest, share options, partnership drawings, and income flowing through offshore trusts or family investment companies are common among HNW borrowers but do not package easily for standard underwriting. Private bank underwriters can accommodate these income profiles, but the application needs to be presented correctly, with the right supporting documentation and a clear narrative. Getting this wrong costs weeks. Getting it right is the difference between an offer and a decline.

Should a high net worth borrower use extended-term or private bank bridging?

The choice depends on whether your primary constraint is exit timeline or LTV. Extended-term HNW bridging (up to 70% LTV, up to 5 years) suits long exit scenarios such as prime property sales or probate. Private bank bridging (up to 90% LTV, typically up to 24 months) suits higher LTV requirements where the exit timeline is shorter.

The two products are not mutually exclusive. A client with a long exit timeline and a high LTV requirement may need a structure that combines elements of both, or may qualify for both and choose based on rate and relationship preference. We advise on both routes and structure the deal accordingly.

Which lenders offer high net worth bridging loans?

High net worth bridging comes from two distinct parts of the market: private banks, which lend against the client's full wealth picture at rates from around 0.3% per month and LTVs up to 90%, and a small group of specialist regulated lenders offering the extended-term HNW product of up to 60 months. Neither route advertises. Both work through intermediaries.

On standard-term regulated cases for HNW clients, the established regulated bridging lenders, including United Trust Bank, Together, MT Finance, Precise, Glenhawk, and West One, all take HNW cases, and larger loan sizes usually improve the pricing. The extended-term 60-month product is narrower still: only a handful of lenders write it, and it exists specifically for borrowers whose HNW status has been professionally confirmed under the FCA high net worth definition. The private bank tier sits above all of this for loans from around £1m, where the bank underwrites the balance sheet rather than the brick.

What that fragmentation means in practice is that no HNW borrower can see the whole market directly. The private banks want an introduction. The extended-term lenders work through brokers. In most HNW cases we arrange, the deciding factor between routes is not rate; it is whether the exit timeline fits inside 24 months. Longer than that and the extended-term product is usually the only honest answer.

Lender names, rates, and product availability correct at time of review, July 2026. HNW product criteria change frequently.

Do you need a specialist broker for high net worth bridging?

Yes, in practice. Neither of the two HNW routes is accessible direct: private banks want an introduction, and the extended-term specialist lenders work through intermediaries. A high net worth bridging broker's job is knowing which route fits the case, confirming the FCA high net worth rules status correctly, and presenting a complex balance sheet in the form each underwriter expects.

Most bridging brokers have access to the mainstream regulated market. Access to specialist HNW lenders and private banks is narrower. It requires established relationships, a track record of placing deals at that level, and the ability to present a complex client profile correctly to underwriters who are accustomed to managing large, relationship-driven transactions.

We arrange HNW bridging from £250,000 and handle cases with no upper loan limit where the deal and client profile justify it. We work on a fee-free basis in most cases, taking our fee from the lender rather than the client. We are FCA authorised and required to give advice rather than just execute a transaction.

We also handle the complexity that comes with HNW clients: property held through SPVs or family investment companies, income drawn from partnerships or trusts, and ownership structures that require additional underwriting narrative. These are not obstacles; they are factors that need to be packaged correctly from the start.

For regulated bridging at this level, who arranges it matters. The difference between the right lender and the wrong one is not just rate; it is whether the deal completes at all.

How do you apply for a high net worth bridging loan?

Frequently asked questions