LBB: Unlocking working capital for UK developers

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Property developers in the UK with an off-plan sales strategy are being faced with an ever-hardening insurance market. One of their greatest challenges is securing deposit release cover alongside their latent defect policy. LBB is bridges this critical gap with a surety product that protects 100% of the purchaser’s deposit and allows the developer to use the sales proceeds towards the cost of construction.

Deposit Release Bonds (DRBs) can provide a developer with a low-interest source of working capital. It is most suitable for developers who are paying a perceived higher rate of interest for their senior debt or wish to ‘top-up’ their funding without having to enter the mezzanine and junior debt markets.

Once a developer has acquired a deposit release bond, they can then deliver the bond to the appropriate obligee (purchaser) to protect their interests in the project. A DRB enables the developer to use the funds in escrow for the project’s remaining construction costs, as opposed to obtaining additional capital from traditional funding lines – which will result in a substantial saving for the developer.

Key product features:

  • Funds guaranteed by the surety provider
  • Facility up to £150m GDV
  • Cover available up to 10% of GDV
  • Provides security for the private purchaser and their solicitor
  • Helps sell off-plan units faster

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