This bridging loan calculator shows what a short-term property loan would cost before you speak to a lender. It covers the monthly interest, the total interest over the term, the arrangement, exit and valuation fees, and what you repay at the end. The results update as you type, and nothing is asked of you first.
Bridging interest is quoted per month, not per year. At 0.75% a month, a £250,000 loan costs £1,875 in interest every month you keep it, or £22,500 over 12 months before fees. The figure most people miss is the cash they actually receive on day one, because many lenders take the interest and fees out of the loan itself. The calculator shows that too.
Your figures
The numbers update as you type. Every figure is illustrative until a lender has seen the property.
Fees
Or call us on 0800 316 2224. If the numbers don't work, we'll tell you straight away.
For illustration only. Figures are not an offer of finance or advice. Your rate, fees and maximum loan depend on the lender, the valuation, the property, your exit and your circumstances. The calculator assumes simple monthly interest and that the arrangement fee is added to the loan. Legal fees and any broker fee are extra and agreed in writing before you commit. Clever Lending is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 795789). Find out more about our bridging loans.
Loan size
£50,000 to £50 million
Regulated and unregulated, first and second charge.
Term
1 to 24 months
The market average was 12 months in Q2 2026.
Interest
Quoted monthly
The market average was 0.81% a month in Q2 2026.
Loan to value
Up to 75% as standard
More with additional security, such as a second property.
Speed
7 to 14 working days
On a simple, well-prepared case. The market average was 46 days in Q2 2026.
Regulation
FCA authorised, FRN 795789
We arrange regulated and unregulated bridging.
Market figures from Bridging Trends, Q2 2026. Clever Lending is one of the packagers that supplies data to Bridging Trends each quarter.
A bridging loan is calculated by applying a monthly interest rate to the loan for each month you keep it, then adding the lender's fees. Most UK bridging uses simple interest on the gross loan, so the sum is straightforward.
Worked example: £250,000 at 0.75% a month for 12 months, with a 2% arrangement fee, a 1% exit fee and a £995 valuation.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly interest | £1,875 |
| Total interest over 12 months | £22,500 |
| Arrangement fee (2%) | £5,000 |
| Exit fee (1%) | £2,500 |
| Valuation | £995 |
| Total cost of borrowing | £30,995 |
A few lenders compound rolled-up interest monthly rather than charging simple interest. On the same loan that adds about £950 over 12 months (£23,452 instead of £22,500). Your offer will say which method applies.
Bridging loans are quoted as a monthly rate because they are designed to last months, not years, and most are repaid early. A monthly rate shows the true cost of each month you hold the loan. 0.75% a month is 9% a year simple, or about 9.4% if compounded monthly.
An APR will usually look higher than either figure, because it spreads the arrangement and exit fees over a short term. Compare bridging quotes on total cost for the months you actually expect to need, not on the rate alone.
How the interest is paid changes your monthly outgoings and the cash you receive, not the headline rate.
| Option | What happens | Monthly payments | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serviced | You pay the interest each month | Yes | Borrowers with income to cover it who want a bigger net advance |
| Rolled up | Interest builds up and is repaid with the loan at the end | None | Refurbishments and purchases where cash is needed for the project |
| Retained | The lender deducts the interest for the agreed term from the loan on day one | None | Most unregulated bridging. Unused interest is usually refunded if you repay early |
Ask whether the lender charges a minimum interest period, and whether retained interest is refunded on early redemption. Both affect what an early exit costs you.
The gross loan is the full amount you owe the lender. The net loan is the cash that reaches your solicitor after retained interest and fees have been taken off. Most calculators only show the gross figure, and that is how buyers end up short at completion.
Worked example: you need £250,000 in hand to complete a purchase on a property worth £400,000. With 12 months' interest retained at 0.75% and a 2% arrangement fee added to the loan:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Cash you need on day one (net) | £250,000 |
| Retained interest, 12 months | £25,281 |
| Arrangement fee, 2% | £5,618 |
| Gross loan you must borrow | £280,899 |
| Net loan to value | 62.5% |
| Gross loan to value | 70.2% |
The gross figure is what lenders test against their maximum loan to value. Some cap on net and some on gross, and on a deal close to the limit that difference decides whether it works.
To run this yourself, choose The cash I need in hand and Retained in the calculator above. Or tell us how much cash you need, and we will work back to the gross loan and the lenders who can do it.
If your sale or refinance runs past the term, you keep paying interest, and you may also pay an extension fee or a higher default rate. On £250,000 at 0.75% a month, every extra month costs another £1,875 in interest, so three months late adds £5,625 before any penalty.
Default rates and extension terms vary a lot between lenders and are set out in your offer. That is why we look at the exit before the rate. A term with two or three months' headroom often costs less than an extension.
A bridging loan is regulated by the FCA when it is secured on a property where at least 40% is used, or intended to be used, as a home by you or a close family member (Regulated Activities Order, article 61). A chain break on your own home is regulated. A buy-to-let purchase, a commercial property or a business bridge usually is not.
Regulation does not change the arithmetic in this calculator. It does change the rules: the lender must check affordability, and regulated bridging terms are capped at 12 months. Regulated deals made up 48% of the bridging market in Q2 2026 (Bridging Trends).
A bridging lender is looking for three things: security it can value, an exit it believes, and a borrower who can complete what they say they will. The rate you get follows from those three, more than from the loan size.
Clever Lending is an FCA-regulated specialist broker that arranges bridging loans from £50,000 to £50 million, regulated and unregulated, across chain breaks, auction purchases, refurbishments and commercial property. You speak to a named adviser from the first call, and our bridging specialists include advisers with backgrounds in residential valuation and lending.
Send us the outline and we will tell you the same day whether the numbers work, what the gross loan needs to be, and which lenders fit. If it doesn't stack up yet, we'll say so and explain why. When time is the pressure, see our fast bridging loans.
Tell us the property, the amount you need in hand and how you’ll repay. We’ll come back the same working day with a likely route, the lenders that fit and a realistic timescale. Brokers: we’ll package your client’s case too. If it doesn’t fit, we’ll tell you immediately and explain exactly why.
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