Documents every bridging lender asks for

Every item below will be requested eventually. Assembling the pack before you apply is the single cheapest way to buy speed — files that arrive complete get underwritten first, and completions run at the pace of the slowest missing document.

You — identity and money

• Photo ID — current passport or driving licence; your solicitor will advise on certification
• Proof of address — utility bill or bank statement dated within the last three months
• Source of deposit evidence — bank statements showing the money and its history, a completion statement from a sale, or a signed gift letter — the trail matters as much as the balance
• Asset and liability statement — honest, current, with the liquid line explicit
• Track record schedule — every relevant project: bought, spent, sold or refinanced, debt used, outcome
• Written credit explanations — anything on your file, explained before it is found

The property

• Memorandum of sale or purchase contract — on a purchase
• Redemption statement requested — on a refinance — some existing lenders take two weeks to produce one, so ask on day one
• Lease and tenancy documents — leases, ASTs, rent schedules, licences where tenanted
• Planning and building regulations documents — for any past works — missing paperwork found late is a classic week-killer
• EPC — current, and lettable-standard if your exit is refinance-to-let

Borrowing through a company

• Certificate of incorporation and articles
• Shareholder and PSC register — identity documents for anyone at roughly 25% or above — the standard disclosure threshold as of July 2026
• Board minute approving the borrowing — your solicitor drafts this in minutes; it stalls completions when forgotten
• Accountant's details — structure questions answered before the lender asks them

The exit

• Exit evidence — decision in principle for a refinance; sold comparables and an agent's letter for a sale