MS Lending Group: products, terms and eligibility

MS Lending Group is a UK provider of bridging loans. The legal entity named on its site is MS Lending Group Ltd, company number 12723324. It is based in Manchester. It gives its founding year as 2020.

MS Lending Group was founded in 2020 by Michael Stratton, who says he had 15 years' experience at a major bridging lender, to offer an agile bridging lender to the market. Its site lists Michael Stratton as CEO and founder, Alexandra Stratton as CMO and shareholder, Stephen Alcock as CFO and Matt Blake as a non-executive board member. It operates from Wilmslow, Cheshire, with a registered office in Manchester (company number 12723324). Its site lists a funding facility from Pollen Street Capital in 2024.

In its own words on scale:

• Says it has funded more than £500 million of loans and completed more than 1,000 cases (figures on its site in October 2026, marked as 2025).

Everything on this page comes from what MS Lending Group publishes itself. We show the date we last checked it, and we do not rate or rank lenders.

MS Lending Group publishes 3 products for UK businesses. The table above gives the amounts and terms as it states them.

• Commercial bridging finance: Not published; often up to 75% LTV; first or second charge; desktop valuation up to £2m.

Commercial bridging finance

Short-term loans secured against commercial property, available as first or second charge. Standard offerings typically reach 75% loan-to-value, assessed case by case, up to £3 million with desktop valuations available up to £2 million. Borrowers must show an exit strategy, typically a refinance to a commercial mortgage or a sale. Uses listed include acquisition, auction purchases, buy-outs, repositioning and commercial-to-residential conversion.

Semi-commercial, HMO, land, auction and refinance bridging

Its intermediary page lists commercial products including standard bridging, semi-commercial, HMO, land, auction finance, remortgage, refinance and below-market-value options. No product-specific limits were read on a separate page.

Residential bridging (incl. bridge to let, light refurbishment, capital raise, below market value)

Its intermediary page lists residential offerings including bridging loans, capital raise, auction purchases, bridge-to-let, light refurbishment and equity release. No product-specific limits were read on a separate page.

MS Lending Group says its finance is used for:

• Property acquisition
• Auction purchases
• Buy-outs and buy-ins
• Repositioning property
• Commercial-to-residential conversions
• Cash flow requirements

Sectors and business types it says it funds:

• Commercial and semi-commercial property
• Social housing projects with recognised housing association partners

MS Lending Group publishes these criteria. Meeting them does not mean an application will be accepted: every lender makes its own decision.

• Secured on commercial, semi-commercial or residential property (first or second charge).
• Exit strategy assessed, typically refinance to a commercial mortgage or sale of the property.
• Each deal assessed case by case.

MS Lending Group describes its process like this:

1. Submit the application form through an intermediary.
2. Provide a credit search for the client.
3. A RICS surveyor values the property (desktop valuation or standard).
4. Legal documentation is completed with lending solicitors.
5. Approval and terms are issued and funds are released.

Information it says it asks for:

• Credit search (Clearscore, Equifax or Experian)
• Valuation documentation
• Exit strategy details
• Legal paperwork

Every application is subject to status and the lender’s own criteria at the time.

A bridging loan is short-term borrowing secured on property, used to bridge a gap until a sale or longer-term finance completes. Interest is often rolled up or retained and repaid with the loan at the end, so the plan for repaying it, known as the exit, matters as much as the property.

Lenders lend up to a share of the property’s value and will want to see that exit. Bridging costs more than long-term borrowing, so it is worth understanding how lenders differ before you compare offers.

Points MS Lending Group publishes that are worth knowing:

• Bridging on commercial and investment property is not regulated by the FCA.
• Lender is not authorised or regulated by the FCA.
• Case studies show lending in Scotland as well as England.
• Valuation requirements and loan size are assessed case by case.

Security and guarantees

Loans are secured by a first charge, or a second charge behind an existing mortgage. Its intermediary page says all fees are collected upfront and deducted at loan commencement. Early repayment terms were not stated.

MS Lending Group’s site states: “MS Lending Group Ltd | Company number 12723324 | FCA number: 964213. MS Lending Group is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our bridging finance on commercial and investment property is not regulated by the FCA.”

Protections differ by borrower type and loan size. Most lending to limited companies is not regulated consumer credit, so read the agreement and ask the lender what applies to you.

Other providers of bridging loans with profiles here include MT Finance, Octane Capital and Octopus Capital (Octopus Real Estate). Each profile uses that lender’s own published terms.

The full list, grouped by product type, is in our directory of UK business lenders.

Capzy is a credit broker, not a lender, and gets paid by the lender. One application lets your business compare options across lenders, so you can weigh this kind of facility against the alternatives. You can check your funding options with a soft search that does not affect your credit score. A full application to a lender may involve a hard search, and any offer is subject to status and lender criteria.