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First Charge Bridging Loans

Quick and straightforward First Charge Bridging Loans across the UK

  • Loans from £25,000 to £500,000
  • Terms from 1 to 18 months
  • Borrow up to 75% loan-to-value
  • Personal and limited company borrowers considered
  • Adverse credit considered
  • Serviced and rolled-up interest options available
  • Lending across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
  • Buy to let, HMO, holiday let, MUFB and student properties considered

Discuss your first charge bridging loan

All applications are subject to valuation, legal review, underwriting and full lending criteria.

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Why choose Mercantile Trust?

With our common sense approach to lending, we offer flexible and quick solutions tailored to your needs.

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Borrow from £25,000 to £500,000
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Borrow up to 75% Loan-to-Value (LTV)
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Lending across the UK: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
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Available on: Holiday Lets, HMOs, MUFB, and Student Lets
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What is a first charge bridging loan?

A first charge bridging loan is a short-term loan secured against a property where the bridging lender holds the first-ranking legal charge.

This means the lender has the first claim over the proceeds from the property if it has to be sold to repay the secured borrowing.

A first charge bridging loan will commonly be used when:

  • The property is owned outright and has no mortgage secured against it.
  • A property is being purchased without a conventional mortgage.
  • An existing mortgage will be repaid when the bridging loan completes.
  • Short-term finance is needed before a longer-term mortgage can be arranged.

First charge bridging finance is different from a second charge bridging loan, which sits behind an existing first mortgage or secured loan.

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First Charge Bridging Loan criteria

 

  • Nationwide Coverage: Available for properties across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
  • Borrowing on Buy to Let, HMO, Holiday let, MUFBs, and Student Lets for any legal purposes 
  • Competitive LTV: Borrow up to 75% loan-to-value (LTV)
  • Diverse Property Types: Most construction types accepted
  • Landlord-Friendly Terms: No minimum income required for existing landlords
  • Affordable Entry: Minimum property value of £75,000
  • Loan Sizes: Borrow from £25,000 to £500,000
  • Flexible Repayment: Choose monthly payments or repay at the end of the term
  • No Early Repayment Charges: Repay early with no penalties,  just a discharge fee of £245 applies
Discuss a first charge bridge

Why choose Mercantile Trust for Bridging Loans?

Mercantile Trust is a specialist UK lender providing fast, flexible bridging finance. We manually assess each application, considering the property, borrower and exit strategy.

What Makes Us Different?

  • Dedicated bridging specialists
  • Manual underwriting approach
  • Fast decisions and completions
  • Adverse credit considered
  • Automated valuations available in some cases
  • Flexible repayment options
  • No early repayment charges on selected products
  • Lending throughout the UK including Scotland and Northern Ireland

A clear application process

  • No upfront application fees
  • No broker fees when applying directly
  • No obligation to proceed
  • No hard credit check at the initial enquiry stage – we use a soft search, which won’t affect your credit score.

Our bridging loans are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), but we remain committed to responsible lending and clear support throughout the process.

Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a debt secured against it.

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Case study: Fast First charge Bridging loan completed in 2 days

Application process 

1

Submit your enquiry


2

Receive an initial lending decision


3

Property valuation instructed


4

Legal work completed


5

Funds released

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Ready to get started? 

We are here for anyone who needs flexible and tailored loan solutions. Whether you have complex income, have imperfect credit, are employed or self-employed, or need faster access to funds than a high street lender can offer — we’re here to help.

Let’s discuss how we can help your next investment. Speak to an expert.

0800 032 3737

Frequently asked questions about Bridging Loans

 

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© 2026 Mercantile Trust. All rights reserved.
Mercantile Trust is part of Norfolk Capital Group, a UK financial-services group whose companies have provided financial solutions to the UK market since 1988.

Postal address: Mercantile Trust Limited, Building 2, Axis, Rhodes Way, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD24 4YW.
Registered Office: 25-27 Surrey Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 3NX. Mercantile Trust is registered in England No: 07023863.

FCA reference number: 732016

Our loan products are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

YOUR PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON A MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER DEBT SECURED ON IT.

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