Reparo worked with an experienced renovations specialists to secure a first new full development deal in a volatile market.
The directors already had a company that focused on renovating residential properties for private letting. This was a successful business with six properties.
The owners wanted to start a new company that focused on property development.
They wanted to borrow money to fund their first purchase.
But they had only ever renovated properties. They had yet to work on a full-scale development project. Because of this, their bank considered them inexperienced and would not finance the company.
The company needed a more flexible lender and so came to Reparo.
Flexible Lending
We could see that even though this was the owner’s first property development, they had a lot of experience in a similar industry.
The fact that they were buying a property also meant that they had an asset to secure the deal.
We were happy to fund the client. However, there were a couple of challenges along the way that we had to navigate.
Thorough due diligence
As regulated lenders, we must perform thorough due diligence checks to confirm that our clients aren’t involved in money laundering.
The main bank account used by our client in this deal was a personal account that lots of the owner’s family members had access to.
We take our regulatory responsibilities very seriously and performed checks on all people and transactions that used the account.
Challenging property market
The UK property market was going through a difficult period at the time. As a result, the client saw several property deals fall through due to no fault of their own.
We understood the problems they were facing and supported them by quickly reprocessing the deal each time.
In the end, the client managed to get an offer accepted on a former club. They intend to convert it into several apartments.
Reparo: A Common-Sense Approach to Lending
We provided a £165k interest-only loan over 18 months. This was secured by a first charge on the building and two director personal guarantees.
Our client is now seeking planning permission and development finance. The development finance company will buy us out of the loan once the client agrees on a deal with them.
This deal highlights two things about Reparo:
- We take a common-sense approach to lending. While our client’s bank rejected them out of hand, we were happy to consider the loan. Even though this was the company’s first time developing a property, it was clear to us that their experience renovating buy-to-let properties was relevant to their new venture.
- We were happy to support the client even though their circumstances were challenging. The time spent supporting them through the due diligence and property buying process is all part of our service.
If you need fast access to short-term working capital, get in touch.
We offer two products:
- Cashflow Loans from £10k to £75k: perfect in a cash flow emergency.
- Structured Loans from £75k to £1m: highly flexible solutions.
Email the team at contact@reparofinance.co.uk, or call us on 0161 451 5710.