Refinancing property finance: every situation, one place.
A fixed rate ending, a bridge to exit, a development to move onto term pricing, equity to release, a lender that wants out. Each is a different product with a different timeline. This is the map.
By Dominic Whitecross, Co-Founder, HyLend. Last reviewed September 2026.
Find your situation
| Your situation | The product | Realistic timeline |
|---|---|---|
| My bridging loan is ending or has become expensive | Bridging refinance and re bridge | Days to 3 weeks |
| My development is complete and still on development pricing | Development exit finance | 2 to 4 weeks |
| My commercial mortgage fixed rate is ending | Commercial mortgage refinance | 6 to 12 weeks |
| I want to release equity from commercial property | Capital raise refinance | 6 to 12 weeks |
| My limited company buy to let fixed rate is ending | Limited company buy to let remortgage | 4 to 8 weeks |
| I refurbished on a bridge and want to remortgage at the new value | Buy to let remortgage or bridge to let | 4 to 8 weeks |
| I want to consolidate a portfolio onto one facility | Portfolio finance | 8 to 16 weeks |
| I need cash out of a property I own, quickly | Capital raise bridge | About 3 weeks |
| I have European property finance to reprice or exit | Cross border refinance, market by market | 8 to 16 weeks, notarial timetable |
| My lender wants me to leave | Any of the above, treated as a deadline | Start now |
The three questions every refinance turns on
- What will the valuer say? There is no purchase price on a refinance, so the loan is a percentage of the valuation, and on commercial or unusual property the lender may use a restricted marketing figure rather than market value. Establish the basis before instructing. How valuations decide your loan →
- What does leaving cost? Early repayment charges inside a fixed period, exit fees, minimum interest periods. Model them against the saving over a realistic holding period.
- When does the old facility end? If the answer is sooner than the new product takes, the structure is a re bridge first. Do not let a default rate start running while a term application is in underwriting.
Why refinancing is where the money is
Most of the savings available in a property portfolio are not in the next purchase. They are in the facilities already in place: a completed scheme still on development pricing, a stabilised asset still on a bridge, a portfolio on legacy rates from a different market, a fixed rate that reverted eighteen months ago and nobody looked at. Repricing those is routinely worth several points a year on large balances, and it needs no new equity.
Send us what you are paying now
The current facility, the asset and the income. We come back within 24 hours with lender backed indicative terms and a plain view on whether moving beats staying.
Refinance FAQs
What is the difference between refinancing and remortgaging?
In practice the words are used interchangeably. Remortgage tends to be used for residential and buy to let property and refinance for commercial property and business facilities, but both mean replacing an existing loan with a new one, usually on better terms, with a different structure, or with a larger amount to release equity.
How do I know if refinancing is worth it?
Compare the total cost of staying against the total cost of moving over the period you will realistically hold the asset, not over the full term of the new loan. Staying includes the reversion rate and any exit fee. Moving includes the new rate, the arrangement fee, the valuation, legal costs and any early repayment charge on the old facility. Where the asset has moved from a bridge or development facility to a completed, income producing one, the answer is almost always yes.
Can I refinance to release equity?
Yes, on commercial property, buy to let held in a company, and completed developments. The new loan is sized on the current valuation and on the income the asset produces, and the amount above the existing debt is released. Lenders will want a legitimate business purpose, and the deposit on the next asset is the most common one.
How long does a refinance take?
It depends on the product. A re bridge against clean title with an automated valuation can complete in days. A limited company buy to let remortgage typically takes four to eight weeks. A commercial refinance takes six to twelve. A development exit facility takes two to four. Start earlier than feels necessary, because the outgoing lender's redemption process is the item most often forgotten.
What if my current facility ends before the refinance completes?
A re bridge buys the time. It is a short bridging facility that repays the expiring loan and holds the asset while the term refinance is arranged properly behind it. It costs a fee. Paying a default rate on an expired facility for three months costs considerably more, and it damages the position with the incoming lender.