Bridging Loan Term Ending? Your Exit Options

One more month on a £200,000 bridge costs about £1,620 in interest, at 0.81% a month, the Q2 2026 Bridging Trends contributor average (published 25 August 2026). An extension can cost more, as it may carry a fee and a higher rate. Illustrative, not a quote.

Bridging Trends is one lender's survey of about 12 specialist finance packagers (its contributors). It is not the whole market.

Picture it. The sale was meant to complete before the term ended. The buyer's solicitor has gone quiet, but the calendar has not. The way out is usually a conversation, and the earlier you start it, the more routes you have.

The 30-second version

• The routes: talk to your lender, ask about an extension, refinance to a new facility, or use development exit finance if a finished scheme is still selling.
• What it costs: interest and fees can keep running while you decide. Extension or refinance terms vary by lender.
• The catch: the longer you wait to ask, the fewer routes remain.
• How long a new bridge takes: for the loans we arrange, completion is typically 5 to 7 working days; some deals take longer, up to around 14, with the valuation usually the slowest step.

Term ending? Pick your route

Step one: talk to your lender early

Contact your lender, or your broker, as soon as you can see the exit slipping. Calling a few weeks ahead leaves room to agree something. Calling on the day the loan matures does not.

Be ready to say what has changed, how long you need and how the loan will now be repaid.

Extension: more time on the same loan

Some lenders offer an extension where the exit is credible but late; some do not.

An extension keeps the same lender and the same security, so it is a sensible first question.

Refinance to a new bridge

If your lender will not extend, or the delay may be long, a new bridging facility can replace the old one. That gives you a fresh term to complete your exit.

A new loan will usually carry a new arrangement fee and new legal fees, and may need a new valuation. The valuation is usually the slowest step, so start it early. The calculator will run your numbers, and our bridging loans page shows how the loan is set up.

Development exit finance: when the scheme is built

If the scheme is complete, or nearly, and units are still unsold, development exit finance can replace the development loan while you sell them.

See the Wakefield development exit case study and our guide to development exit finance.

Why acting early keeps your options open

If a loan runs past its term, interest and fees can keep running, extension fees or default interest may be added, and the lender may enforce its security.

None of that is inevitable. Speaking to the lender early gives you more time to agree a plan.

Before the term ends: five questions

1. Do you know the date the term ends, and what the loan agreement says about extensions?
2. What has changed about the exit, and when will it be fixed?
3. Do you have a buyer's solicitor or a refinance lender who can confirm a date?
4. If the sale took three months longer, what would that cost? If a refinance valuation landed 10% lower, would it still work?
5. Have you phoned the lender, or your broker, this week?

How do I keep the exit on track?

Test the exit before the loan starts. A contracted sale or an agreed refinance is a clear path out. "We'll see how the market is" is not a plan.

Ask what the sale or refinance needs to go right, then plan for a later date than you hope.

Start here

Tell us the property, the loan, when the term ends and how you now plan to repay. We will say whether we can place it and set out the options. It is a confidential, no-obligation chat.