Bridging — Chain Break
Regulated and unregulated bridging that lets you complete on your onward purchase when a buyer withdraws or your sale runs late — repaid when the sale finally completes.
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Last updated Reviewed by our Clifton International finance team.
In short
Chain-break bridging is a short-term loan secured across the property you are buying and the one you are selling, usually up to 75% of their combined value. It funds your onward completion when the chain collapses and is repaid from the eventual sale, often within three to six months.
At a glance
Figures reviewed:
Indicative figures for guidance only, correct as at July 2026. Rates, costs and timelines vary by lender, borrower profile, asset and jurisdiction, and are not an offer of finance. How we derive these figures.
Last reviewed . Read the full Key facts methodology, or speak to our team for a quote based on your circumstances.
At a glance
Chain-break bridging lets you buy before you sell, so you complete on the onward purchase without renegotiating or losing it; waiting costs nothing in interest but risks the property.
| Feature | Chain-break bridge | Wait for your sale |
|---|---|---|
| Onward purchase secured | Yes — you complete on your timetable | Only if the seller waits |
| Typical cost | 0.53% – 0.85% per month plus fees | No interest, but risk of losing the purchase |
| Regulation | FCA-regulated where secured on your home | Not applicable |
| Max term | 12 months on regulated bridges | Open-ended |
| Interest payment | Usually retained — no monthly outlay | None |
| Sale price pressure | Sell in your own time, not at a discount | Often a reduced offer to force a quick sale |
| Exit | Sale of the existing home | Not applicable |
| Typical timescale | 2 – 4 weeks to drawdown | 3 – 6 months to complete a sale |
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.
Regulated chain-break bridges are advised sales; the exit is your existing property's sale and must be credible on realistic pricing.
Why clients choose us
Complete on your new home on the contracted date rather than losing it and your legal costs.
Bridging makes you a cash-equivalent buyer, which often secures a better price on the purchase.
Interest retained or rolled up means no monthly outgoing while both properties are held.
FCA-regulated facilities where the security is or will become your main home.
Up to 75% of combined value across the outgoing and incoming property.
12-month terms with no exit penalty on early redemption from most lenders.
Borrower eligibility
Typical lending criteria
Indicative only. Actual terms depend on borrower profile, asset and lender criteria.
Recent transactions
Published transactions from our own case study library — select any to read the full brief.
Leeds · Bridging
£1.3m · 65% LTV · 12-month regulated bridge
£1.3m regulated bridge to help a Leeds family secure a significantly larger home before selling their existing property — funded in under 3 weeks.
Malaga · Bridging
£230k · c.25% LTV · 36 days to completion
A regulated bridging loan raised against an unencumbered Edinburgh home to secure a £230k apartment in Malaga, Spain — completed in 36 days.
Oxfordshire · Bridging
£1.2m · 60% LTV · chain-break bridge
£1.2m chain-break bridge that saved a rural Oxfordshire purchase after the buyers' onward sale collapsed at the eleventh hour.
Frequently asked
Chain-break bridging is a short-term loan that lets you complete on your onward purchase when your own sale has fallen through or is running late. The bridge is repaid when your existing property finally sells.
Yes. This is one of the fastest-turnaround cases in the market — where title is clean and a valuation can be instructed immediately, facilities have completed in around a week.
If the loan is secured against a property that is or will be your main residence, it is FCA-regulated bridging. That brings a compliance process and, where advice is required, a slightly longer timetable than unregulated lending.
Lenders take a combined view. Typically up to 75% of the combined value of the property being bought and the one being sold, which often means no cash deposit is needed at all.
Usually not. Interest is retained from the advance or rolled up and settled when your sale completes, so you are not servicing two properties at once.
Terms are normally set at 12 months even where the sale is expected in three, giving substantial headroom. If the sale still stalls, the facility can often be extended or refinanced onto a term product.
Yes. Buying before you sell makes you effectively chain-free, which strengthens your negotiating position and is frequently worth more than the cost of the bridge.
Expect a monthly interest rate from around 0.55%, an arrangement fee of about 2%, plus valuation and legal costs. On a short three-to-six-month hold the total cost is often less than the price reduction needed to re-sell quickly.
UK bridging finance by scenario
Each page covers the structure, criteria, costs and typical timescales for one bridging use case — with real completed transactions.
Calculate interest, arrangement and exit fees, valuation and legals — with a fully worked £510,000 example.
View pageRegulated and unregulated lender panels compared — and why bridging is placed through a specialist, not shopped direct.
View pageFacilities structured for the 28-day auction completion window, with pre-auction agreements in principle.
View pageRefinance a completed scheme onto cheaper short-term debt while units sell.
View pageWhich regime applies to your case, and what changes in criteria, cost and process.
View pageRaise capital behind an existing mortgage without disturbing the first charge.
View pageUK-secured short-term finance for British expatriates, foreign nationals and offshore SPVs.
View pagePurchase-plus-works and heavy refurbishment finance with staged drawdowns.
View pageRelated UK services
Residential, buy-to-let and high-value mortgages for UK and international clients.
Learn moreFast short-term funding for auctions, chain-breaks, refurbishments and exits.
Learn moreSenior debt and stretched-senior facilities for residential and mixed-use schemes.
Learn moreInvestment and owner-occupier funding for offices, hospitality, retail and logistics.
Learn moreImproved terms, capital raising and exit refinance for maturing UK facilities.
Learn moreReady to explore your options?
If your completion date is at risk, call us. A specialist will come back within one working day with indicative terms and a realistic timetable.