Inspired Lending has completed the repayment of its largest bridging finance transaction to date, following the refinance of a £6.3 million facility that supported the refurbishment of a mixed-use investment property in Shepperton, north Surrey.
The loan was originally completed at £5.7 million. Inspired Lending later increased it to £6.3 million after providing additional funding to help the borrower through a series of unforeseen challenges during the refurbishment programme.
The property comprises 11 retail units and 25 residential flats, forming a key part of Shepperton High Street. The original facility refinanced the borrower’s existing lender while providing funds to modernise the residential flats and a number of the commercial units.
As the project progressed, refurbishment works took longer than anticipated, and costs increased significantly beyond the original budget. This left the residential flats vacant for longer than expected, which hit the borrower’s cash flow while the refurbishment programme continued.
At the same time, the planned sale of external assets took longer than expected and generated lower proceeds than originally forecast, adding further pressure to the overall funding position.
During the life of the loan, claims were made against intercompany loan balances involving the borrower. This required extensive negotiations with external parties, while ensuring the refurbishment programme stayed on track.
Recognising that the underlying project remained commercially viable, Inspired Lending agreed additional funding together with an extension to the loan term. This allowed the borrower to complete the works and bring the development to practical completion. The facility was ultimately repaid in full through a long-term refinance once the refurbishment works had finished.
Inspired Lending’s privately funded lending model enabled decisions to be made throughout the life of the project based on the circumstances of the case, without being restricted by third-party funding covenants or institutional constraints.
“The real measure of a lender isn’t on loans where a project runs exactly to plan,” said Gavin Diamond, chief executive of Inspired Lending.
“It’s what happens when it doesn’t. Property projects are living things and circumstances can change, particularly on larger and more complex schemes.
“The important question is whether everyone involved is prepared to keep making sensible commercial decisions as new information comes to light. If your funding model leaves little room to respond, even good projects can become unnecessarily difficult.”
He added, “Because we lend using private capital, we have the freedom to assess what is actually happening rather than what a funding agreement says should happen. That allowed us to keep backing a project that still had a strong long-term outcome, work constructively with all parties involved and ultimately see the borrower refinance successfully once the refurbishment had been completed. That’s exactly the sort of flexibility experienced borrowers value when undertaking larger projects.”
Please visit:
Our Sponsor
