Bridging loans: when you need the money in days
A bridging loan is short-term secured borrowing that can be arranged in a week or two, sometimes faster. It is the fastest way to release equity there is, and by far the most expensive. It is the right tool for one job: a short gap with a clear exit.
How it works
A bridging lender secures a loan on your home (a first charge if it is unmortgaged, a second charge if not) for a term of a few months to a year or two. There are usually no monthly payments; the interest is rolled up or deducted at the start, and the whole thing is repaid in one go from the "exit": the sale of a property, a remortgage, an inheritance, a pension lump sum, a business event.
What it costs
Interest of roughly 0.55% to 1% a month (7% to 12% a year), an arrangement fee of about 2%, valuation and legal fees for both sides, and sometimes an exit fee. £100,000 for six months might cost £8,000 to £12,000 all in. That is fine if it saves a house purchase or unlocks a much bigger sum; ruinous if the exit slips and six months becomes eighteen.
How fast
Five to fourteen days is realistic with a responsive solicitor, an automated or fast-tracked valuation and a clean title. Some lenders quote 48 hours for the simplest cases. Speed comes from the lender caring mainly about the security and the exit, not your income.
When it makes sense
- You are buying before selling and the chain will not wait.
- A lifetime mortgage or remortgage is agreed but will complete after a deadline you cannot move (a tax bill, an auction purchase, a family emergency). The bridge is repaid from it.
- A property needs work before a normal lender will touch it.
When it does not
As a substitute for a lifetime mortgage or a remortgage you could get if you waited a few weeks. As a way to fund living costs. Whenever the exit is "we'll sort something out". Regulated bridging (on your own home) requires advice, and a good adviser will refuse to arrange it without a credible exit.
Bridging on your own home is a regulated mortgage contract. For bridging on other property, or at larger scale, our sister site British Bridging Company covers the whole market.
A note on the numbers. Rates, loan-to-value limits, fees and timescales are typical figures at the time of writing (2026) and vary between lenders and with your age, health and property. This is information, not advice. Equity release must be arranged through an FCA-authorised adviser, who will give you a personalised illustration before you commit to anything.
Quick answers
Can a pensioner get a bridging loan?
Yes; age and income matter much less than the security and the exit. But the exit has to be real, and if it is a house sale the lender will want to see it well advanced.
Can I bridge and then take a lifetime mortgage?
Yes, and it is a recognised route when a deadline is fixed: the lifetime mortgage repays the bridge on completion. The adviser should set both up together so the second is certain before the first is taken.
Ready to talk to someone who can actually do it?
We introduce you to a qualified, FCA-authorised equity release adviser who will look at every option, tell you how much you could release and how fast, and never charge you for the first conversation. No obligation.