What are the best alternatives to West One Loans?

Why consider alternatives to West One Loans?

West One Loans has been lending since 2007, has funded over £3 billion and helped more than 15,000 customers. It is well regarded in the intermediary market for three specific things: fast underwriting with a credit decision inside 24 hours, a willingness to write second charge bridging behind an existing mortgage, and the ability to handle complex title and ownership structures on specialist buy-to-let. West One Secured Loans Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 776026.

Those strengths are real, and they explain why most people who leave West One are not leaving because of the rate.

They leave for one of four reasons. The first is access: West One is primarily an intermediary-only lender, and its record notes it is less well known to direct borrowers. If you want to pick up the phone yourself, that is a friction point.

The second is development finance. West One’s own record lists limited development finance, compared with dedicated development lenders, as a drawback. Ground-up construction is not what it is built for.

The third is the ceiling. At £20,000,000 West One is below Together at £25,000,000, Shawbrook at £25,000,000, Hampshire Trust Bank at £35,000,000 and Octopus Real Estate at £100,000,000.

The fourth is cost structure rather than headline rate. Arrangement fees and legal costs apply as standard on all bridging products, which is why its representative example of £400,000 over 12 months carries a £56,000 cost of credit against £26,400 of interest at the 0.55% floor.

Here are seven lenders that answer at least one of those.

Top West One Loans alternatives

1. Together, Best for direct access and larger loans

Together lends £50,000 to £25,000,000 on bridging, commercial mortgages and development finance, and has been doing it since 1974 with £7 billion out and more than 80,000 customers helped. Unlike West One it is a familiar name to direct borrowers as well as brokers, and it goes £5 million higher. Its regulatory position needs stating carefully: Together Financial Services Limited is the group holding company and does not itself hold an FCA firm reference number, while its regulated lending entities include Together Personal Finance Limited, firm reference number 305253, and Blemain Finance Limited, firm reference number 719121.

Rates and amounts: 0.55% to 1.5% per month, quoted at 11.4% APR representative. £50,000 to £25,000,000. Its representative example is £500,000 over 12 months with £570,000 total repayable, a cost of credit of £70,000.

Eligibility: No trading history required for property-backed lending; no minimum turnover. Adverse credit considered case by case.

Pros: £25,000,000 ceiling; development finance as well as bridging and commercial mortgages; over 50 years of lending history; indicative terms within 24 hours; adverse credit and non-standard income considered.

Cons: Rate ceiling of 1.5% per month is higher than West One’s 1.3%; completion 2 to 4 weeks against West One’s 2 to 3; the holding company does not itself hold an FCA firm reference number, so check which entity is lending.

Best for: Borrowers whose case is genuinely unusual, who need more than £20 million, or who want to deal with a lender directly rather than only through an intermediary.

2. Precise Mortgages, Best for portfolio landlords and complex income

If your interest in West One is the specialist buy-to-let rather than the bridging, Precise Mortgages is the sharpest comparison. It is built specifically for landlords with 4 or more properties, HMO investors and self-employed borrowers whose income does not fit a standard affordability model, and its commercial and buy-to-let mortgages start from 5.5% per annum against West One’s 5.8%. Precise Mortgages is a trading name of Charter Court Financial Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 494549.

Rates and amounts: 0.59% to 1.3% per month on bridging; commercial and buy-to-let mortgages from 5.5% per annum. £75,000 to £15,000,000.

Eligibility: No trading history required for property-backed lending; no minimum turnover, as lending is property and income backed.

Speed: Credit decision within 48 hours; completion typically 3 to 4 weeks.

Pros: Purpose-built criteria for 4 or more property portfolios and HMOs; buy-to-let rates from 5.5% per annum; specialist underwriting on complex self-employed income; identical 1.3% per month bridging ceiling.

Cons: Slower than West One on both decision (48 hours) and completion (3 to 4 weeks); nothing below £75,000; £15,000,000 ceiling; no development finance; not suitable for very severe adverse credit across all credit types.

Best for: Portfolio landlords and HMO investors buying or refinancing, where the buy-to-let terms matter more than bridging speed.

3. Shawbrook Bank, Best for a lower rate ceiling on bigger loans

Shawbrook lends £50,000 to £25,000,000 with bridging at 0.55% to 1.25% per month, the lowest ceiling of any lender in this guide that publishes one. It also writes unsecured business loans, which no other lender here does, so a property investor who also runs a trading company can keep both under one roof. Shawbrook Bank Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the PRA, firm reference number 204574, and has lent £9 billion.

Rates and amounts: 0.55% to 1.25% per month on bridging; commercial mortgages from 5.5% per annum. £50,000 to £25,000,000.

Eligibility: 12 or more months trading preferred, none required for property-backed bridging; no turnover minimum for property finance, £200,000 or more for unsecured business loans.

Speed: Indicative terms within 24 hours; completion typically 2 to 4 weeks.

Pros: Lowest published rate ceiling here at 1.25% per month; £25,000,000 ceiling; strong on complex portfolios, HMO and semi-commercial; unsecured business lending alongside; PRA-authorised bank.

Cons: Completion 2 to 4 weeks, potentially a week slower than West One; no development finance product; severe adverse credit across all products is a problem; unsecured lending needs £200,000 or more of turnover.

Best for: Investors who expect to be priced above 1.25% per month at West One on a large or complicated case, and want the ceiling capped.

4. LendInvest, Best for development finance with a published rate

LendInvest fills the exact gap West One’s record admits to. It runs bridging at 0.54% to 1.2% per month, the lowest published range in this guide, alongside development finance priced from 7% per annum, and gives a credit decision in 24 to 48 hours. It has funded over £5 billion. Lendus has not completed identity verification on this record, so we make no claim about its regulatory status here; confirm it on the FCA Register at register.fca.org.uk before proceeding.

Rates and amounts: 0.54% to 1.2% per month on bridging; development finance from 7% per annum. £75,000 to £15,000,000.

Eligibility: No trading history required for property-backed lending; no minimum turnover, as lending is property and project backed.

Speed: Credit decision within 24 to 48 hours; legal completion 2 to 4 weeks.

Pros: Lowest published bridging floor and ceiling of any lender here; development finance with an actual published annual rate, which is unusual; technology-led application process.

Cons: Its record notes it is not aimed at first-time developers or borrowers with severe adverse credit; nothing below £75,000; £15,000,000 ceiling; no second charge bridging product published.

Best for: Experienced developers and professional landlords with a clear exit who need a construction facility West One cannot provide.

5. Octopus Real Estate, Best for large schemes and EPC-linked discounts

Octopus Real Estate lends £50,000 to £100,000,000, five times West One’s ceiling, and specialises in development finance between £5 million and £100 million as well as commercial bridging from £1 million. It offers a rate discount of up to 0.15% per month on bridging and development loans that improve a property’s EPC rating, the only explicit sustainability-linked pricing on this panel. Octopus Investments Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 194779, and offers regulated residential bridging where the borrower lives in or intends to live in the property.

Rates and amounts: From 0.55% per month on residential bridging and from 0.85% per month on commercial bridging, with no published ceiling; development and refurbishment rates are not published. £50,000 to £100,000,000.

Eligibility: No minimum trading history published, and newly formed special purpose vehicles are commonly used; no minimum turnover, as lending is asset-backed.

Pros: £100,000,000 ceiling; a real EPC-linked discount of up to 0.15% per month; dedicated case team on large bridging and development loans; both regulated and unregulated bridging.

Cons: No ceiling rate published, so the worst case is unknown until you have terms; commercial bridging starts at £1 million; no published completion timeframe; no published Trustpilot track record.

Best for: Developers whose schemes have outgrown a £20 million lender, and anyone whose refurbishment will move an EPC rating enough to earn the discount.

6. Hampshire Trust Bank, Best for a hard completion target

Hampshire Trust Bank targets 21 days from application to completion on bridging, supported by dual legal representation, which removes the usual delay of two firms of solicitors corresponding with each other. It lends up to £35,000,000, and like West One it works only through registered intermediaries, so a broker is required either way. Hampshire Trust Bank Plc is a full UK bank, authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the PRA, firm reference number 204601, with FSCS protection on customer deposits.

Rates and amounts: No published rates. Pricing is issued to registered brokers through HTB’s PUMA intermediary portal. Up to £35,000,000, with no published minimum loan size.

Eligibility: No minimum trading history or turnover published; each case is assessed individually through a registered intermediary.

Pros: A stated 21 day completion target, the only firm number in this guide; dual legal representation; £35,000,000 ceiling; bridging, development finance and specialist mortgages under one bank.

Cons: No published rates at all, so no upfront comparison is possible; broker-only, with no direct application route; no published minimum loan size, which makes it hard to tell if a small case fits.

Best for: Deadline-driven purchases where the completion date is the constraint and you already work with a PUMA-registered broker.

7. Recognise Bank, Best for commercial property above £250,000

Recognise Bank publishes something almost nobody else does: separate starting rates by security type, from 0.79% per month on residential security and 0.84% per month on commercial security, with a commercial mortgage Standard Variable Rate currently 9.50% per annum. It lends £250,000 to £10,000,000 and aims to give indicative terms within 48 hours. Recognise Bank Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the PRA, firm reference number 849404.

Rates and amounts: From 0.79% per month on residential security, from 0.84% per month on commercial security; commercial mortgage Standard Variable Rate 9.50% per annum, fixed rates individually assessed. £250,000 to £10,000,000.

Eligibility: 2 or more years trading; turnover not published, assessed individually per application.

Pros: Transparent starting rates split by security type; indicative terms within 48 hours; caters for SIPP purchases; PRA-authorised bank; online enquiry takes minutes.

Cons: Requires 2 or more years trading, unlike the purely property-backed lenders here; nothing below £250,000; starting rate well above the 0.55% cohort; no final funds-release timescale published; no development finance.

Best for: Established trading businesses and SIPPs buying their own commercial premises, where a two year record is no obstacle.

Comparison table

How to choose the right alternative

Choose Together if you need more than £20 million, your case is genuinely non-standard, or you would rather approach a lender directly.

Choose Precise Mortgages if the buy-to-let side is the real requirement and you hold four or more properties.

Choose Shawbrook Bank if you expect to be priced near the top of a range and want a 1.25% per month ceiling rather than 1.3%.

Choose LendInvest if you need construction funding with a published annual rate and you have a track record.

Choose Octopus Real Estate if the scheme is large, or the works will lift the EPC rating enough to claim up to 0.15% per month off.

Choose Hampshire Trust Bank if the completion date is the binding constraint and a 21 day target with dual legal representation is what you need.

Choose Recognise Bank if you are an established business or SIPP buying commercial premises above £250,000.

Two practical points before you decide. First, if second charge bridging is what drew you to West One, check explicitly whether any alternative will lend behind an existing charge, because most of the lenders above do not publish that as a product and you will otherwise be comparing two different transactions. Second, run every quote on total repayable rather than the monthly rate: West One’s own example turns a 0.55% headline into a £56,000 cost of credit on £400,000 over twelve months once fees and legals are in. Lendus is an introducer, not a lender and not a credit broker, so we do not approve, decline or price anything. Verify any lender’s current status on the FCA Register at register.fca.org.uk before committing.