JackCousinsMortgages · Finance · Protection · Consultancy
Search
Language

Read in your language

EnglishOriginal websiteالعربيةArabic ↗简体中文Chinese ↗FrançaisFrench ↗EspañolSpanish ↗हिन्दीHindi ↗اردوUrdu ↗PortuguêsPortuguese ↗TürkçeTurkish ↗

Translations open in Google Translate. They are automatic and may contain errors. Check important mortgage wording with Jack in the original English.

Speak to Jack ↗
Property and specialist finance

Development finance

Development finance has to work from land acquisition through construction and exit. I review the appraisal, borrower experience and cash required between drawdowns.

Speak to Jack ↗07456 935677
Felt illustration of Jack at work

An appraisal needs more than an end value

A lender considers costs, timings, planning, professional input and sales assumptions. Monitoring surveyor sign-off and staged releases can affect cash flow. We clarify how fees, interest, contingency and equity are funded throughout the project.

How I approach the case

We begin with what you want to achieve, your timescale and any part of the case that needs explaining. I review the evidence and suitable lender routes, then explain the available options and their costs. A recommendation follows the individual assessment; an initial conversation does not commit you to an application.

Where legal, tax or other specialist advice is needed, we identify it early so the finance fits the wider transaction. Tell me about any change in employment, borrowing, deposit or property details before proceeding.

What to prepare

  • Development appraisal
  • Planning and cost schedule
  • Team and track record
  • Equity evidence and exit strategy

You do not need every document before saying hello. Start with a short outline; detailed or sensitive records should follow through an agreed secure route.

Before you proceed

Cost overruns, sales delays and lower values can create a shortfall. The developer remains responsible for completing and repaying the facility.

Your questions, answered

What makes a commercial or development brief useful?

Bring the property details, the borrowing purpose, the proposed repayment or exit and the evidence supporting the project. Depending on the case, this may include trading accounts, leases, planning information, an appraisal or a cost schedule. Identify gaps and decisions still outstanding.

Link to this answer
How do you compare facilities beyond the interest rate?

Look at the funds available, repayment structure, term, fees, security, guarantees and conditions together. For staged funding, the timing and conditions of each drawdown matter to cash flow. A facility must fit the actual business or project rather than just an initial headline figure.

Link to this answer
Larger loans & individual properties£1m+ borrowing, substantial homes & landOpen the group to explore the loan, property and project pages relevant to your plans.9 routes

Further reading: MoneyHelper: mortgages and homebuying. Content updated 17 September 2026. General information; availability depends on the individual case.

Your development stress test

What if costs rise and the exit takes longer?

Explore a whole-project budget. Keep all figures on the same basis and include costs already paid as well as those still to come.

The starting figures are editable examples. Your inputs stay on this page and are not sent or deliberately saved.

To work it through without the calculator: add the extra works allowance and delay costs to your base budget, subtract costs already withheld from loan proceeds for the funding comparison with net loan funds plus equity, then test lower sale proceeds against all project costs including those withheld costs.

The cash-timing check

A funded budget can still run short between stages.

This is a dependency map, not a dated programme. Open a stage to see the question to resolve with your project team.

  1. AcquisitionWhat is available on day one?

    Separate the first advance from the total facility. Match the acquisition payment and initial fees to money actually available at completion. Ask the solicitor and lender which conditions must be satisfied.

  2. EquityWhen must your cash go in?

    Confirm the amount, evidence and sequence of equity contributions. Some lenders require equity before their funding; the actual facility sets the order. Cash already invested is not cash still available for the next invoice.

  3. Works and drawdownsWhat must happen before the next release?

    Map contractor invoices to monitoring, evidence and lender approval. Ask whether releases are in arrears and which costs qualify. Compare each payment date with accessible cash, while keeping cost to complete and undrawn funds under review.

  4. Extra holding periodWhat changes if the programme slips?

    The months in this calculator describe an extra project holding period, not a promised drawdown waiting time. Recheck the facility expiry, remaining cash and the need for any agreed extension.

  5. Exit and repaymentWhat turns the exit into available cash?

    Check sale completion or refinance conditions, repayment amounts and security releases with the relevant professionals. Expected value is not money in the account, and a positive project residual does not prove a refinance is available.

A separate worked example

£15,000 short today. A balanced budget overall.

If a £40,000 contractor payment falls due when only £25,000 is accessible, the temporary cash need is £15,000. A matching £40,000 advance expected after evidence and approval does not pay the earlier invoice. Confirm payment and release arrangements before relying on that advance.

These are fixed teaching figures, separate from your scenario. No release date or lender approval is assumed. The planner does not calculate the peak cash requirement because it has no dated invoice or drawdown schedule.

How this illustration works

A simplified whole-project cost scenario, before tax. Costs already withheld from net loan proceeds are deducted only for the funding-gap comparison; they remain part of the project cost and reduce the residual. It assumes the entered net facility remains available and does not calculate interest, lender limits, drawdown timing, refinance proceeds or profit distributions. It is not a valuation or a viable-exit test. The residual is sale proceeds less total costs, not cash released after repaying debt. A refinance exit needs a separate lender assessment.

Check the context. Sources checked 13 October 2026. The arithmetic is explained above; the sources inform the preparation questions, not your lender’s terms.

A situation like yours?

Detailed illustrative scenarios to help you prepare. These are not completed cases or offers of finance.

Explore all 38 detailed scenarios ↗

A closer look · Practical preparation

A funding plan that follows the build.

The useful picture is the movement of cash through the project: what you contribute, what the facility can release and what remains to finish. Keep those figures alongside the construction programme.

01

First advance and your equity

Ask which costs the initial advance can cover, what equity must be contributed and when. The total facility limit should never be read as the cash available on the first day.

02

Drawdowns and invoice dates

Request the actual drawdown procedure and evidence requirements. If work must be evidenced before release, show how invoices and site costs will be paid while a draw request is assessed.

03

The remaining work

Maintain a current cost-to-complete alongside undrawn funding and other available cash. Record variations and delays so a gap becomes a decision to address rather than a surprise at the next stage.

04

The exit evidence

Build a sale or refinance plan with the professional team. Include completion documents, realistic timing and the effect of a weaker value or slower sales before relying on the proceeds.

Your route through the process.

Open each stage to see the preparation and next question. This is a process guide, not a live application tracker. Stages can overlap or repeat; there is no fixed completion time.

01 · Define the scheme

What happens: Connect the site, proposed build, delivery experience and intended exit.

What to prepare: Site details, scheme outline and a named professional team.

Next question: Does everyone describe the same project?

02 · Build the appraisal

What happens: Link the cost plan to a realistic programme and cash-flow forecast.

What to prepare: Cost assumptions, contingency, equity and exit evidence.

Next question: When is additional cash required, and where will it come from?

03 · Agree the proposed structure

What happens: Establish the first advance, staged funding and the conditions attached.

What to prepare: A comparison of written terms and your equity timing.

Next question: Which costs and payments must you fund before a drawdown?

04 · Complete due diligence

What happens: Coordinate valuation, technical monitoring, consents and legal requirements.

What to prepare: Current documents and responses from the relevant professionals.

Next question: What must be satisfied before the first release?

05 · Build, report and draw

What happens: Keep requests for funding aligned with evidenced progress and revised costs.

What to prepare: Draw requests, progress evidence, variations and cost-to-complete updates.

Next question: Is the remaining funding sufficient for the work still required?

06 · Complete and repay

What happens: Bring completion evidence together and carry out the agreed sale or refinance route.

What to prepare: Required certificates, current exit evidence and the repayment calculation.

Next question: What action is needed if completion or receipts move later?

Before the next commitment

Identify who does what. Ask which reports the lender’s monitoring surveyor will provide. Keep your own project management, cost advice and technical responsibilities clearly allocated; lender monitoring is a separate appointment.

Budget the complete project. Ask the project team to check professional fees, finance costs, utilities, contingency, applicable levies and planning obligations. Confirm what sits inside the facility and what you must fund separately.

Sources and how to use this section

Sources checked 13 October 2026. The questions and preparation prompts are Jack’s editorial checklist, not a lender’s eligibility test. Lender links illustrate that provider’s process and terms; Homes England describes its own monitoring requirements. They do not establish whole-market rules.

Requirements depend on the property, borrower, lender and UK jurisdiction. Confirm legal, tax and technical matters with the relevant professional. Finance remains subject to assessment and written conditions.

Your next step

Let’s talk about your plans.

Interested in development finance? Tell me what you want to achieve and when; we can work out what needs a closer look.

A useful starting point: Development appraisal; Planning and cost schedule; Team and track record.

Discuss my options ↗Start on WhatsApp ↗Or call 07456 935677
The property project navigator

One project.
Every important stage.

Choose a project and explore the questions from opportunity to exit. Use it to prepare a brief for Jack, not to assess eligibility.

Bridging brief

A time-sensitive property plan

Establish the deadline, net funds and credible route to repayment.

Bridging · 01 / 03

Start with the property and the deadline.

Bring the address, purchase or refinance purpose, ownership and the actual completion deadline into the same brief.

Auction & time-sensitive purchases ↗
Bridging · 02 / 03

Separate the headline facility from usable funds.

Ask which fees, interest and costs are deducted or paid separately, and when the net funds would be available.

Understand bridging costs ↗
Bridging · 03 / 03

Evidence how the borrowing would end.

A proposed sale or refinance needs a realistic timetable, supporting evidence and a plan for delays.

Refinancing a bridge ↗
Refurbishment brief

Turn the scope of works into a clear brief

Connect the property today with the works, budget and intended use.

Refurbishment · 01 / 03

What changes, and what stays?

Separate repairs, structural works and a change of use. Bring the scope, planning position and contractor information.

Refurbishment finance ↗
Refurbishment · 02 / 03

Show how the work and cash flow connect.

Identify the order of works, payment schedule, available funds and what would happen if costs or dates change.

Property needing work ↗
Refurbishment · 03 / 03

Plan for the finished property.

Explain whether the plan is to let, sell or refinance, with the documents and completion conditions the next lender may need.

Long-term letting finance ↗
Commercial brief

The building and the business behind it

Start with the actual use, borrower and source of repayments.

Commercial · 01 / 03

Who occupies the property?

Distinguish owner-occupied business premises, an investment let and mixed residential-commercial use.

Mixed-use property ↗
Commercial · 02 / 03

Make the income and obligations clear.

The brief may need trading accounts, lease details, tenant information and the wider borrowing position.

Commercial investment ↗
Commercial · 03 / 03

Review the facility alongside the plan.

Discuss costs, security, repayment approach and the business or property timetable before committing.

Owner-occupied commercial ↗
Development brief

From site control to the final exit

Bring the planning, appraisal, build programme and exit into one view.

Development · 01 / 04

Establish the site and planning position.

Explain ownership or acquisition terms, the proposed scheme, permissions and the key conditions or deadlines.

Ground-up development ↗
Development · 02 / 04

Show the costs and equity timeline.

The appraisal should cover land, build costs, professional fees, finance costs, contingency and when funds are needed.

Prepare a development brief ↗
Development · 03 / 04

Match the programme to the cash requirement.

Understand monitoring, release conditions and costs due before a drawdown. Allow for work taking longer or costing more.

Development finance ↗
Development · 04 / 04

Connect completion with sale or refinance.

Bring sales evidence, completion assumptions, warranties and the proposed exit timetable into the initial conversation.

Development exit finance ↗
Turn the questions into a conversation

Discuss your property project.

Open a draft with your chosen project and stage. Review it and add your outline before pressing Send.

Prepare my WhatsApp brief ↗

Finance is subject to individual assessment. Some bridging, commercial and development finance is not regulated by the FCA; the position depends on the transaction. Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments.

Put it in context

Different situations.
A useful starting point.

Illustrative examples for development finance. These are not records of actual client outcomes.

01 · ILLUSTRATIVE

A project ready for funding discussions

A developer has site control and an appraisal. Costs, value, equity and the exit need to be presented coherently.

Read the scenario ↗02 · ILLUSTRATIVE

A phased development

A project will be delivered in stages. Drawdowns and cash needs must fit the programme.

Read the scenario ↗03 · ILLUSTRATIVE

A developer expanding their activity

A developer wants to take on a larger scheme. Experience, team capacity and contingency need evidence.

Read the scenario ↗04 · ILLUSTRATIVE

Evidence focus: An appraisal needs more than an end value

A developer or commercial property owner wants to discuss development finance. Two points need attention: development appraisal; planning and cost schedule. A lender considers…

Read the scenario ↗05 · ILLUSTRATIVE

Decision point: Team and track record

A developer or commercial property owner has started a conversation about development finance, but the brief has changed. The review revisits two points: team and track record;…

Read the scenario ↗06 · ILLUSTRATIVE

An owned site with revised plans and a phased construction budget

A developer owns a site and is revising the scheme before starting work. Their budget includes staged construction, professional fees and an intended sale of the completed units.

Read the scenario ↗
Prepare your next conversation

Practical planning checklists

Focused questions and preparation steps for your next decision.

Development preparation

Development contingency & cash-flow checklist

Make cost uncertainty, payment timing and funding dependencies visible in your development plan.

Read the checklist Property planning

Buying to renovate: organise the budget

Create a practical purchase-and-works budget before choosing how to fund a renovation.

Read the checklist Commercial planning

Commercial finance: questions before a personal guarantee

Prepare for the legal conversation about a personal guarantee alongside commercial or development borrowing. Understand who is committed, what the documents cover and how a future release would work.

Read the checklist
GCC & UK connections

Planning from overseas?

These detailed guides address the additional questions around country, currency, ownership and UK project delivery.

Property Finance

Large UK mortgages for GCC residents

Prepare for a £1m+ UK mortgage from Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain or Oman. Start with the property, income and repayment plan, then assess the available lending route.

Explore the guide Property Finance

UK bridging finance for GCC investors

A short completion window needs a well-evidenced plan. For GCC-based buyers and property investors, start with usable funds, security, total cost and a credible route to repayment.

Explore the guide Property Finance

UK development finance for overseas investors

A UK development needs a credible delivery plan as well as funding. For GCC and other overseas sponsors, connect the site, planning, costs, equity and professional team before seeking terms.

Explore the guide
GCC consultancy overview →Download a one-page guide ↓