Land finance and land mortgage options for a land purchase
I need short-term finance secured against a site with or without consent. Vortex compares suitable routes by current value, planning position, contribution and exit; I decide whether to apply and the lender controls approval and timing.
Compare land finance for my property
Share the property or site, finance required, purpose, deadline and exit. Vortex will review the case and compare suitable routes before I decide whether to apply.
You found the site. The vendor wants to exchange in days, not months. A high-street mortgage will not touch land, especially a raw plot without consent, and the deal you worked to find is slipping toward a buyer with cash ready. This finance for land fixes the timing: short-term money secured against the site, structured to hold it while you progress planning or move onto a development facility. You exchange fast, keep control of the plot, and buy the runway to do the rest properly.
We arrange; we do not lend. We compare suitable lenders for the site and exit, explain the proposed credit-check stage and show you the routes before you decide whether to apply. our fee model is confirmed upfront before any application, disclosed in writing before you commit. The lender confirms all figures, conditions, checks and timing.
Key facts
- Up to 60% of site value with full planning permission in place; typically 50% to 55% without
- Indicative rate 0.85% to 1.10% per month for raw land; lower once consent is granted
- Term and facility size depend on the site, current value, planning position, contribution and exit
| Scenario | Indicative rate | LTV |
|---|---|---|
| Land with planning | 0.85–1.00%/mo | 60% |
| Land without planning | 0.95–1.10%/mo | 50–55% |
| Strategic / option | By case | By case |
Cost calculator
Compare land routes by what you need
Land is not one product. Start with the angle that matches your site.
Finance a sourced site
Check source authority, title, planning, price and exit before funding an introduced land deal.
Explore ›Strategic land finance
Fund a longer-horizon site against its current value, planning evidence and supported exit.
Explore ›Land without planning
Compare finance against the site's current value, title, planning risk and supported exit.
Explore ›Development finance
Roll a consented site straight into senior debt for the build.
Explore ›Off-market land finance
Finance a privately offered site you have already identified.
Explore ›Bridging loans
The short-term speed layer behind every fast land exchange.
Explore ›What is property development
The guide for first-time developers planning the build after the land.
Explore ›Can you get a mortgage to buy land
Borrowing against a plot is rarely a standard mortgage. Most banks lend against income or a finished, mortgageable building, so finance for a bare plot is seldom on offer from the high street. A field with an option on it, a plot waiting on consent, a bare site bought ahead of a planning decision: these land transactions fall outside a normal lending box. You usually need specialist land purchase finance instead, a bridging or development loan secured against the land value.
This route covers consented development sites ready to roll into a build, unplanned plots held while you progress an application, options and assemblies, and land banks. It is the property finance behind most land acquisition: a loan for land that holds the plot while the development project takes shape. The one rule that makes a plot fundable is a credible exit strategy: build then sell, or sell on with consent. A speculative site with no exit is a hard no everywhere, and we say so before you spend a penny.
Land with planning consent, and without
Planning drives how much you can borrow, because planning drives the exit. Land with planning permission borrows more, at a lower rate, because the development route is clear and the lender can see the way out. Land without planning permission borrows less and prices the added risk.
With consent in place, you can typically secure up to 60% of the site. Without planning approval, expect 50% to 55%. That loan to value gap is the price of planning risk. Many buyers exchange quickly on a land loan, then move onto development finance once consent arrives and the value lifts. If you already own the plot, we can refinance it to release equity for the next move. The intended use of the land drives land development potential, and that potential is what the lender underwrites.
Bridging and development loans for land
Land is funded two ways, and the right one depends on the planning position and your timeline.
- A land loan or bridge. Bridging loans for land buy time: you secure a land position fast while consent is worked through, then exit by refinance or sale.
- Development funding. When consent lands, a development facility takes over to fund the build, with a day-one land advance usually reaching 60% to 70% of value.
The strongest deals are planned as two stages from day one. Land bridging holds the site through the planning gap; when consent lands and value lifts, a development facility funds the build. We line up both halves so drawdown follows consent without a gap, and senior debt funds up to 80% Loan-to-Cost on a residential scheme. A developer who waits until consent to shop for senior debt can lose weeks at the point the build clock starts.
Financing options by type of land
Different types of land need different lenders, and appetites differ across brownfield, farmland and strategic plots.
- Strategic plays and options. Acquiring land ahead of a planning decision, where you hold while consent is pursued.
- Commercial and residential development. A commercial property plot for a commercial development, residential and commercial schemes, and land for development with a build exit. We arrange finance for the land, then the property project that follows.
- Agricultural sites. Some lenders fund agricultural businesses and farm plots; an agricultural mortgage is a different specialism again.
- Existing property with land. Where a plot sits beside a home or unit you already own, the borrowing can be secured across both, with the land used as security.
We match each plot to a lender that already lends on that type, rather than forcing it through a standard box. Land finance solutions are niche, so the adviser who knows the field saves you a wasted search.
Costing a land bridge over the real hold
Judge cost over your real hold, not the monthly headline. A bridge at 1% a month for nine months costs roughly 9% of the loan, the number to weigh against losing a site you cannot replace. On the call we cost the whole loan term, including the arrangement fee, usually 1% to 2%, the valuation against a RICS report on the land or property, and legals.
We size the whole stack across both stages, the bridging finance now and the build facility later, so repayments on your mortgage carry through to the exit. These finance offers are indicative; the lender confirms against the valuation and your repayment plan.
Why whole-of-market beats one lender
The lenders who fund land are specialists, and a whole-of-market firm can compare providers outside the high street. Planning status, title, access, services, contribution and exit all affect lender appetite.
We arrange rather than lend. We compare suitable routes, package the file for underwriting and explain when a lender may run a credit search before any application is submitted. The lender controls valuation, legal requirements, approval and timing. This page is information, not regulated advice. A qualified adviser confirms the regulatory position of your specific case on the call.
Land funding worries, answered straight
Is a land bridge expensive compared with a normal mortgage? +
What if I cannot get consent? +
I have been turned down for land before. +
When a land bridge fits
Secure the plot, then roll it into a development facility.
Hold the site while you progress an application.
Stitch adjoining plots together into one position.
Secured against the value pending consent.
Two stages lined up so drawdown follows consent without a gap.
Finance a privately offered site after you have identified it and verified seller authority.
Land mortgage FAQs
Can I borrow against land in the UK? +
Do I need planning permission before borrowing against land? +
Can I finance agricultural or commercial land? +
How fast can completion happen? +
Do you fund the money yourselves, or place it for me? +
Secure your site before someone else does
Tell us the site, loan size, planning position, deadline and exit. We will compare suitable land finance routes before you decide whether to exchange or apply.