Whole-of-market development finance comparison
Compare development finance in minutes.
Enter your site, build costs and GDV, and matching development finance products appear as you answer. Ground-up schemes, conversions, heavy refurbishment and commercial projects.
- Compare the development finance market
- We review your scheme and negotiate the best available terms
- Fast-track to your first drawdown
Reference rates
- BoE Bank Rate
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- SONIA
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How it works
From first appraisal to first drawdown.
We're not tied to any lender, so every quote reflects the whole market, not whichever lender we know best.
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Compare the whole market
Development finance from a wide range of lenders, private banks and specialist funds.
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Tailored terms for your scheme
Our advisers review your appraisal and negotiate the best terms available across the market.
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Fast-track to drawdown
We manage the application, valuation and monitoring surveyor so funds are ready when your build starts.
FAQs
Development finance, explained.
Have a question about a scheme you're planning? Get in touch and a broker will help directly.
What is development finance?
Development finance is a short-term loan used to fund the purchase of a site and the cost of building on it, whether that's a ground-up scheme, a conversion or a heavy refurbishment. It's repaid when the finished units are sold or refinanced onto longer-term lending.
How is it different from a bridging loan?
A bridging loan is usually advanced in one amount against a property's current value. Development finance is sized against the total project cost and the finished value, and the build element is released in stages as the work progresses.
What are loan to cost (LTC) and loan to GDV (LTGDV)?
Loan to cost is the facility as a percentage of the total project cost (site plus build). Loan to GDV is the facility as a percentage of the gross development value, which is the expected value of the finished scheme. Lenders set a maximum for each, and the lower of the two usually decides how much you can borrow.
How are funds released during the build?
The site element is normally advanced at the start, with the build costs released in stages. Before each drawdown, a monitoring surveyor appointed by the lender checks the work completed so far.
How is interest charged?
Interest is usually rolled up or retained and repaid at the end rather than paid monthly, and on many products it's only charged on funds as they're drawn. Arrangement fees are typically deducted from the facility, and some lenders charge an exit fee based on the facility or the GDV.
Do I need development experience?
Experience helps, and some lenders set a minimum track record. Others will lend to first-time developers, particularly on smaller schemes with an experienced professional team in place.
What happens when the build is finished?
The facility is repaid from unit sales or by refinancing. If the build finishes before the units have sold, development exit finance can repay the development loan and give you more time to sell or let.
About us
A whole-of-market development finance broker.
Development Eye is a trading style of Stirling Partners Finance Ltd. We're a development finance broker with access to the whole of the market — not tied to any single lender — so every quote reflects a genuinely broad set of options rather than a fixed shortlist.
Because every lender we work with prices and underwrites differently, we compare across the market for your specific scheme — facility size, loan to cost, loan to GDV, project type and planning status — rather than defaulting to whichever lender we know best.
Stirling Partners Finance Ltd is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 304236). See the footer below for our full regulatory and company details.
Authorised & regulated by the FCA · FRN 304236Talk to a broker
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020 7580 1555