Your Developer Experience

Most lenders will ask to see your development CV, and backing that up with evidence of previous projects completed makes for a much more robust application.

Previous experience improves your credibility, reduces the risk, and ensures that the lender is confident that you can successfully manage the property development.

Detailed Schedule of Works

When applying for development finance, you will need to agree on timescales with the lender. Thus, they will need to know how long the development will take, and when the significant stages will be complete.

A detailed schedule of works, accompanied by a budget breakdown at each stage, shows a well-planned development that is likely to run on schedule.

Development Team

Particularly if you are a new developer, the team you use - including crucial people such as the architect and contractor - will make a difference to the risk factor assessed by the lender.

If you include details of your team, and their experience or professional background, this can improve your application.

Asset Schedule

Development finance lenders will ask for a summary called an ALIE - asset, liability, income and expenditure report.

This report is essential, so the earlier in the process you provide it, the better. The report matters since it shows whether you are financially independent, and what sort of contingency level there is to cope with any unexpected increased costs or time delays.

Lenders will also prefer to see financially stable applicants who can provide personal guarantees secured against other assets to mitigate their risk.

Exit Strategy Details

The lender must know how you expect to repay the loan at the end of the term - whether that's through refinancing, remortgaging, or through selling the property.

Gross Development Value Estimate

GDV is a critical metric and shows the value that the property is expected to be worth on the open market once the building work is complete. This should be at least 20% above the project costs, and ideally 30% or higher.

You'll need to have references from at least two local property agents supporting the projected GDV value. If you can include details of other property sales or valuations that back up your figures, it is beneficial.

Personal ID Documents

Lastly, a UK lender needs to complete anti-money-laundering checks, and will therefore need information about your ID, deposit source and address.

Providing this information at the beginning will save the lender needing to ask for further documents later on in the process.