Specialist
Property Refurbishment Finance
Fast, flexible property refurbishment finance for light, heavy, or structural renovation projects.
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Complete the simple form to receive your tailored finance options.
Fast, flexible property refurbishment finance for light, heavy, or structural renovation projects.
Complete the simple form to receive your tailored finance options.
We can help you find appropriate finance when you want to:
Our strength is our ability to access a wide range of funding solutions from high street, private banks and specialist lenders.
Property refurbishment finance is a type of loan that helps people or businesses pay for renovations or improvements to a property. This can include small updates like repainting and new flooring or bigger projects like fixing structural issues or redesigning spaces.
It’s often used by property owners or investors who want to increase the value or usability of a home, office, or other building. These loans are usually short-term and can be repaid once the property is sold, rented out, or refinanced.
Lenders decide how much to lend based on the property’s current value, the cost of the work, and how much it will be worth after the renovations are done.
Property refurbishment finance works by providing you with the funds needed to renovate or improve a property, and the process typically follows these five steps:
You apply for the loan, detailing your refurbishment plans, the current value of the property, the estimated costs of the work, and the expected post-renovation value.
The lender reviews your application, including the property's value, your refurbishment plans, and how you plan to repay the loan (e.g., through selling, renting, or refinancing the property).
If approved, the lender offers you a loan based on the property’s current value and the potential increase in value after the refurbishment. Some lenders may release the funds in stages, depending on the progress of the work.
Once you receive the funds, you can start the renovation. During this period, some lenders might inspect the property to ensure the work is being completed as planned.
After the refurbishment is finished, you repay the loan in full. It’s important you establish how you plan to repay the loan in your application, as this is typically the main decider of your eligibility. Some options are through selling a property, refinancing to a mortgage or even through rental income.
Refurbishing a property means you’re restoring a property to ‘like-new’ condition. This could mean updating the décor, rewiring it, or replacing functional elements like the boiler or central heating system.
One great example of property refurbishment is a ‘house flip’, where the seller buys a property that needs work, and restores it to a better condition, usually injecting new life and character into it along the way.
But if you live in the same home for more than a couple of decades, it’s likely that you’ll undertake some level of refurbishment on it at some point.
Refurbishing is cheaper than renovating a property, which typically involves larger work such as knocking down walls. However, it can still be expensive due to rising resource and labour costs.
It’s possible for renovation or refurbishment costs to reach as much as £100,000, and they are widely regarded as equally if not more stressful than buying the house itself.
So why do people do it?
The UK has some of the oldest housing stock in Europe, many of which are grade I and II-listed buildings that the government protects. Space is not as readily available as it is in larger countries, so new builds are not as common as they are in areas with more building space.
But more than that, many fall in love with the idea of buying a house that has character, charm and history and giving it a new lease of life - especially when many home improvements add value.
British housing stock might be a bit draughty and damp-prone, but the ample number of townhouses and romantic countryside cottages present a labour of love that a lot of buyers are willing to undertake, despite the price tag.
Another reason for refurbishment is maintenance. Even with the correct care, homes need to be rewired every 25 years, kitchen counters get worn out, and living room decor becomes drab and outdated.
And this is the basis of a lot of property flips. For those who want to buy an older building that’s been modernised and is ready to live in, we have keen entrepreneurs who earn a living through purchasing homes and restoring them for profit.
Contrary to popular belief, refurbishing a home is a lot more than a lick of paint and some DIY.
Refurbishment can mean surface-level changes like painting and decorating, but it also means bigger tasks, such as:
Jobs like this can be dangerous to complete without the correct experience and will usually need the help of a professional. Generally, the wider the scope of a refurb project, the more expensive it will be.
But when managed correctly, refurbishments can be rewarding projects serving to build equity in your property or provide a space that enhances your standard of living.
The main difference between renovation and refurbishment is that renovations typically require planning permission.
While refurbishments aim to restore a building so that it can be lived in comfortably, renovation can mean conversions, combining rooms, reimagining a floorplan, or changing use.
Some examples of a renovation project are:
As you can see, renovations require some level of development, more so than a refurbishment project. Renovations usually involve reimagining a space or adding to it in a way that transforms it into something entirely new. Refurbishments, on the other hand, tend to mean redecorating or ‘doing up’ a home to improve its liveability.
Yes and no. If a home requires a lot of repairs then it wouldn’t be remiss to say that you are refurbishing it by undertaking the necessary work. The odd repair here and there wouldn’t necessarily be considered refurbishing.
When applying for property refurbishment finance, it’s important to be clear about what you intend to use the funds for and have a good idea of how much the project will cost.
You could use refurbishment finance to replace a broken boiler or make energy efficiency upgrades on a rental property, for example, but this will typically cost much less than remodelling a bathroom, so it’s important to be specific with the lender when you apply.
The term refurbishment and renovation are often used interchangeably, so some renovations can be covered by refurbishment finance.
Generally, one of the advantages of refurbishment finance is that it’s flexible and can be arranged to suit your needs.
Some larger projects, however, may not necessarily be covered by refurbishment finance. Refurbishment loans can be used for extensions and loft conversions, but larger projects like barn conversions are more complicated and may require specialist property development finance.
If you’re not sure what your options are, it’s worth talking to a specialist broker who can match you with the right product.
Finance Rates from 1 - 18 months Rates up to 80% LTV net As at 5th January 2026 Finance Rates from Up to 24 months Rates up to 70% of GDV As at 5th January 2026 Finance Rates from 1 to 18 months Rates up to 80% LTV net As at 5th January 2026 Thank You for your interest - please complete the form below and a member of our team will be in contact.
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If you need property refurbishment finance, there are several good reasons to using our service:
Related: How to Get a Bridging Loan To Buy, Refurbish and Sell a House
Clifton Private Finance is a UK-based, FCA regulated property refurbishment finance broker. We provide a fully independent, whole-of-market service to help you find the most suitable form of finance for your project.
Thanks to our established relationships with property refurbishment lenders across the country, we can quickly find you the best deals currently available, no matter what kind of refurbishment project you are undertaking.
I approached Clifton Private Finance to help me get a mortgage as an Expat working in the Far East. I would normally 'cut out the middle man' on something like this and try to get myself a deal directly with the banks, but I am now sold on the broker concept and wouldn't hesitate to use Clifton Private Finance again. There were a number of complicating factors such as being an expat, the stamp duty holiday, the sheer amount I wanted to borrow and the fact I wanted it all wrapped up before the Stamp Duty holiday ended. It is clear to me now that the relationship that brokers have managed to foster with their banks means they can simply pull levers and make stuff happen that us ordinary folk cannot. Put simply, they are worth every penny, will take most of the stress out of the lending process, and seem to have access to deals that you just won't find on the internet. Thank you George and Jan for all your hard work!
James M
Luther was excellent. Very clear in his advice and explanations of products and was able to move things on very quickly when we ran into difficulties with the estate agents. Without a doubt I would recommend Luther to all friends, family and colleagues. Luther was a joy to deal with and took a lot of the stress out of a troublesome transaction, from my end. I would view Luther as real asset to Clifton Private Finance Ltd.
William W
The team at Clifton Private Finance has been outstanding, not only in helping me to obtain a mortgage on a slightly unusual home, but also in continuing to provide support and liaise with the lender and solicitors through to completion. Thank you for making the process of buying my first home much easier.
Chantelle S
Sam O'Neill, and the new lender he identified for me, worked tirelessly together using my time constraints, to make sure my mortgage application was completed on time. They are a brilliant company to work with, fast, efficient, open and transparent from the very beginning, and turned a seemingly impossible situation into a viable one. Sam was brilliant throughout the whole process and I would highly recommend him, and his colleague Helen, to anyone without hesitation, I cannot speak highly enough about them.
Myr B
I was incredibly lucky to find Clifton Private Finance after a search on line as their service has been more than exemplary. My point of contact was Sam 0’Neill and he was happy to help at every stage during the application of the bridging loan, making a stressful process much easier to deal with. He was always available by phone or email and gave prompt answers to queries I had as well as always getting back to me when he said he would. That to me is excellent customer service and I cannot thank him personally or the company enough for the support they have given me.
C Jefferey
Adam cannot thank you enough for all your support throughout this arrangement. You have gone more than the extra mile to support us. Without you we would not have got our dream retirement home. You have been most professional and personable. Liz and I would be more than happy if you wanted to use us a reference with respect to any future clients.
Nigel & Liz K - Bristol
You have certainly shown me that you do everything for your clients, including tolerating their excessive emails and questions for updates. I have been kept in the loop, from yourself, about why the delays were occurring (Nationwide, post etc) which I would like to highlight that I really appreciated. I certainly will be able to recommend you to others as and when the need arises.
Mr Morris
I recently contacted Clifton Private Finance after a Google search for bridging finance providers and was immediately struck by their efficiency and support. Forms were emailed over almost immediately and the necessary finance was arranged within a few days. None of the other companies I contacted came close to their professionalism, and the quote that I eventually received was impressive. Thank you Adam, your help has enabled us to reserve the house that we wanted and I certainly recommend you to others.
Mr M. R. - Oxford
Absolutely brilliant. The service was first class, got everything sorted efficiently and were always friendly. Any fees were negligible compared to the service offered. Robert was particularly outstanding.
Charles N
My advisor, Robert, was very helpful in finding the mortgage to suit me. He kept me up to date throughout the process and dealt with any issues when they arose.
Rowena C
