Development Finance in Leeds
CoreFi arranges development finance for Leeds property projects, typically limited companies and SPVs funding ground-up build, conversion or heavy refurbishment. We match your scheme to lenders who fund Leeds development. Loan-to-cost and loan-to-GDV figures are indicative and depend on the scheme, the exit and lender appetite.
Development finance funds the build cost of a property project, released in stages against the work as it completes, and is repaid when the finished scheme is sold or refinanced. Across Leeds that spans a wide range: office and warehouse-to-residential conversions around Holbeck, Water Lane and the South Bank; ground-up residential and build-to-rent in the regeneration zones along the river and the city fringe; purpose-built student accommodation serving the two universities; and mixed-use schemes bringing older stock in Hunslet and the city core back into use. Leeds has seen sustained regeneration around the South Bank and Aire Valley, and lender appetite varies by zone, asset type and planning status. CoreFi is a commercial finance broker; we match your scheme to lenders whose criteria fit. We do not lend and we do not decide the outcome. Any loan-to-cost, loan-to-GDV or rate figure here is indicative and for illustration only.
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Share the scheme
Send us the site, the planning position, your build costs and expected end value, and how you plan to exit. It costs nothing to start the conversation.
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We match you to development lenders
We identify funders on our panel whose appetite fits the scheme size, location, asset type and your track record, and package the appraisal so it is presented properly.
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Review terms and proceed
Interested lenders come back with indicative LTC, LTGDV and pricing. All figures are illustrative until formally offered. You decide, and we manage the deal through to drawdown.
How development finance is structured
Development finance is usually sized against two ratios: loan-to-cost (LTC), the share of total project cost the lender will fund, and loan-to-GDV (LTGDV), the loan as a share of the gross development value once complete. Funds are drawn down in stages against certified progress, often with a monitoring surveyor confirming each release, and interest is typically rolled up and settled on exit rather than paid monthly. The lender wants to see a credible build cost, a realistic end value for the scheme's location, and above all a believable exit, whether that is sale of the units or a refinance onto a term facility. For a South Bank conversion or a build-to-rent block near the river, the strength of that exit case often matters more than the headline rate.
What Leeds development lenders look at
Lenders assess the site and its planning position, the numbers (cost, contingency and end value), the exit, and the people delivering it. Experience counts: a developer with a track record of similar Leeds schemes is a different risk from a first-timer, and lenders price and gear accordingly. Location within the city matters too, because appetite and end values differ between the established South Bank and city-core pitches and less proven fringe sites. Planning status is a major factor. A scheme with full detailed consent is far easier to fund than one still working through the local plan or an office-to-residential permitted-development route. We help you present the scheme with the detail lenders expect, and we are honest early about where the numbers or the exit may not stack up for a given lender.
Why use CoreFi for a Leeds scheme
Development lending is specialist and the market is layered: high-street banks, challenger banks, dedicated development funders, and bridging-into-development lenders, each with their own comfort on scheme size, region, asset type and developer experience. Matching a scheme to the wrong lender wastes weeks. We hold that appetite detail across our panel and can steer your Leeds scheme toward the funders most likely to back it, then package the appraisal, costs and exit so the case is assessed properly the first time. On regeneration-led conversions and build-to-rent, where structure and staged drawdowns get complex, that matters. We cannot promise terms or approval, because the lender decides, but we can put your scheme in front of the right desks and manage the process.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of Leeds projects can be funded?
Ground-up residential and mixed-use, office and warehouse-to-residential conversions, build-to-rent, student accommodation and heavy refurbishment across the city and the wider region. The lender confirms appetite for your specific scheme, location and planning status.
How much of the cost will a lender fund?
It varies by lender, scheme and your experience, and is set as loan-to-cost and loan-to-GDV limits. Any figures we discuss are indicative only; the lender sets the actual gearing when it assesses your appraisal and exit.
Do I need full planning permission first?
It depends on the lender and the route. Detailed consent makes a scheme easier to fund; some lenders will consider sites earlier or under permitted development, usually on different terms. We match you to lenders whose appetite fits where your scheme stands.
Do you provide the development loan?
No. CoreFi is a broker, not a lender. We match your scheme to development funders and manage the process, but the decision, gearing and pricing sit with the lender.
Get matched with lenders for your Leeds business
Tell us what your business needs and we will match you with lenders whose criteria fit. No obligation, no cost to start the conversation, and a straight answer about what is realistic for your situation.
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