Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.

WARNING

Somo loans are unregulated. Any property used as security is at risk of repossession if you do not keep up with your payments. If you are unsure about any aspect of the information provided by the company, you should seek advice from an independent financial adviser.

    Costs Upfront

    There is a £350 lock-in fee required to secure the investor’s funds. This is refunded if we do not complete the bridging loan based on the information that was provided. A valuation fee is also required which is paid directly to the surveyor.

    As a rule of thumb a valuation costs £110 per £100,000 of the value of the property.

    Costs added to the loan

    All other fees such as arrangement fees or legal costs are deducted from your loan (or added depending on your preference) when you receive your money. These fees typically include:

    • An arrangement fee from 2%.
    • Interest (get in touch with us on 0161 312 5656 to find out the rates we offer).

    Do you charge an early redemption or exit fee?

    It depends on the deal and the safety of the planned exit route. If there is an exit or early redemption charge, the typical amount would be one month’s interest payment. The minimum is zero.

    Representative example: Based on interest only bridging loan. If you borrow £100,000 over 1 year at a rate of 0.6% pcm / 7.2% p.a fixed for the term, you will pay 12 instalments of £600 per month and a total amount payable of £109,850. This includes repayment of the net loan, interest of £7,200, an arrangement fee of £2,000 and administration fee of £650. The overall cost for comparison is 9.85% APRC.

    You can opt to service the interest monthly or you can pay the interest back at the end of the loan.

    The interest rate is a fixed figure displayed monthly. The interest does not compound. The interest does not fluctuate and it is not variable.

    Representative example: Based on interest only bridging loan. If you borrow £100,000 over 1 year at a rate of 0.6% pcm / 7.2% p.a fixed for the term, you will pay 12 instalments of £600 per month and a total amount payable of £109,850. This includes repayment of the net loan, interest of £7,200, an arrangement fee of £2,000 and administration fee of £650. The overall cost for comparison is 9.85% APRC.

    Bridging finance is quick. The speed really depends on the speed of your solicitors. We have been known to complete a case within 20 days. The time scale depends on a few factors beyond our control such as 2nd charge consent if applicable and the availability of local surveyors and your solicitors. Should you require, we can place you with one of our panelled solicitors to speed up the process.

    What if my case is urgent? Do you offer a fast track service?

    If your case is urgent and you need a quick completion, please advise your broker or case handler as to the deadline date and the reason why, we will then be able to offer a fast track service.

    Representative example: Based on interest only bridging loan. If you borrow £100,000 over 1 year at a rate of 0.6% pcm / 7.2% p.a fixed for the term, you will pay 12 instalments of £600 per month and a total amount payable of £109,850. This includes repayment of the net loan, interest of £7,200, an arrangement fee of £2,000 and administration fee of £650. The overall cost for comparison is 9.85% APRC.

    It is highly recommended for speed and safety that the valuer is instructed by Somo. Our borrowers get a better deal this way as the valuer provides indemnity insurance to the investors.

    However if a report has already been compiled, we may accept it provided that we are happy with the surveyor, it can be re-typed and the indemnity is attached.

    On most deals we look at the Open Market Value of a property as valued by a registered RICS surveyor from our panel. The 90-day value is taken into consideration, but this is not what is used in our LTV calculations.

    If an asset is being purchased below the Market Value, we may lend up to 100% of the purchase price.

    We will lend against all types of UK property including:

    • Residential property (unregulated)
    • Residential developments
    • Commercial property
    • Commercial developments
    • Mixed use property schemes
    • Offices
    • Retail
    • Land, farms and agricultural
    • Investment property – residential and commercial
    • Auction

    There is no hard and fast rule as each deal is assessed on its merits. However, as a guide:

    The max Gross loan to value on a 1st charge is 70%

    The max Gross loan to value on a 2nd charge is 70%

    We can even offer 100% of the value where additional security or equitable (comfort) charges are offered.

    Yes.

    Often people seek a bridging loan as they have gone over term on their financial commitments and as a result have adverse credit. A bridging loan can be a good tool to help alleviate the financial pressure and allow clients the time and flexibility to return to a stable footing again and improve their credit.

    This is acceptable as you do not have to service the interest or loan monthly - you can pay it all back at the end of the loan. The important point with a bridging loan is your ability to repay the loan at the end of the period.

    Acceptable repayment methods are: 

    1. Sale of the security or another property
    2. Pension
    3. Funds due from a business
    4. Funds due from a divorce
    5. Refinance onto a high street mortgage, a BTL mortgage or a commercial mortgage
    6. Investments
    7. Sale of other assets

    You can use the loan for many purposes. The most common bridging loans are for:

    Tight transaction deadlines

    Often banks and high street lenders cannot facilitate a short term loan quickly enough whereby it takes several weeks, often months to underwrite.

    Banks will not lend

    More and more banks have an inability to lend on non-standard mortgage deals. As such, a bridging loan offers a quick, realistic process with decisions made by real investors.

    Business cash flow

    This takes many forms and is very common. Whether it is to fund a short term cash flow requirement or to purchase a new business or even start a new one up then a bridging loan is often the quickest and most realistic prospect of raising the funds. With this loan the applicant will need to demonstrate that they can repay the loan either i) through the business or ii) through sale of the security or iii) another realistic repayment model.

    Paying tax liabilities quickly or divorce settlements

    We provide bridging loans to pay tax bills or to help in a divorce settlement.

    Renovation or refurbishment of a residential, commercial or buy to let property

    We are finding more and more that banks will not lend on properties that are in need of refurbishment or redevelopment. In this instance a bridging loan is the perfect tool to help finish the property.

    Auction purchase – pre-approval required and fast completion

    Often clients require pre-approval for a property that they wish to bid on at auction and need to complete within 14 days after successfully purchasing the property. In this instance, a bridging loan is the perfect tool to help facilitate the purchase. Often the exit strategy is to pay the money back via a traditional mortgage.

    Chain break finance

    A classic bridging loan need – where a client has an offer on their property but wishes to purchase another (or put a deposit down) and funds are required quickly for a short period and repaid when the property transaction completes.

    Conversions

    Converting a property from a dwelling into flats or vice versa.

    Landlords who are equity rich but cash poor / portfolio equity release

    Many people, including landlords, have a lot of equity but cash may be tight. We will lend so that equity can be released from the properties in order to purchase new ones or pay off arrears and help get finances back on track.

    Require a loan where interest is not serviced monthly

    Interest on bridging loans can be serviced, rolled-up or retained. This means you can use the equity in a property to guarantee interest payments and these are paid on redemption.

    Acquisition finance for business tenants to purchase their business premises from their landlord

    Bridging loans for high net worth individuals

    Large bridging loans for high net worth individuals for any purpose - subject to a realistic exit strategy.

    Bridging loans for adverse credit applicants

    Many people require a bridge because the banks and high street lenders have shut the doors firmly on anyone with adverse credit. A bridging loan is there to help get finances back on track, and in doing so, improve the credit scores.

    Revolving credit facility (only on exceptional cases of low LTVs and high loan amounts)

    We can offer a bridging loan secured against a main asset whereby the charge is registered and remains in duration and this allows you to draw down in stages as and when required.

    100% purchase price with additional security

    Somo will advance 100% of the purchase price where there is additional security or comfort charges.

    From 1 month to 2 years.

    We are social lenders and we will work with you. Provided that you are trying to repay the loan and this can be evidenced and is realistic then we will often allow a further period of time for you to repay the loan. On 95% of requests from borrowers we will allow additional time to repay. This is of course subject to a satisfactory sign off from our underwriting department.

    If you repeatedly fail to repay the loan and, after an extension, you still show no signs of reasonably being able to repay the loan then your security could be at risk of repossession. However, this measure will only be used as a last resort and we will work with you to find a suitable payment plan.

    Somo is a trading name of Social Money Limited, a company which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number: 675283) for credit broking, debt adjusting, debt administration, debt-collecting and debt-counselling activities and consumer buy to let loans. Social Money Ltd makes regulated and unregulated loans. However, Somo makes unregulated bridging loans and as a lender, the loans are not regulated by the FCA. Your loans are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and you may or may not be able to refer any complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

    Where the valuation is lower than expected, we will still offer the loan but we may reduce the amount accordingly within our guideline LTVs.

    Yes. If you do not have your own solicitors we can recommend one from our panel of solicitors who are experts at bridging and make the process quick and simple for you.

    Can you recommend a solicitor?

    Yes. We would recommend using one of our panel solicitors who are used to completing bridging loans so that the process is completed quickly. If you have a good relationship with your solicitor and wish to use them, then that is equally fine. The firm must have at least three SRA approved managers and each individual applicant will need to seek separate legal advice from a different solicitor (it can be the different partners within the same firm).

    An exit strategy is your plan on how you wish to repay the loan. Each loan will require at least one exit strategy.

    Exit strategies vary. The most common repayment methods are:

    • Via the sale of the security or another property
    • Via remortgaging of a property or refinance of a development
    • Out of business proceeds
    • Tax rebate / sale of shares / pension matures
    • Awaiting a property to sell

    Any land or property offered as security may be at risk and may be repossessed if you fail to maintain your financial commitments.

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