Orton Financial Arranges £4.7m High-Value Property Finance Facility

A Bristol-based specialist mortgage adviser is warning that some of the UK’s highest-earning borrowers are being underserved by mainstream lenders, despite having healthy incomes, valuable assets, and clear repayment plans. 

Orton Financial, which is based in Bristol, says high-net-worth clients can struggle to secure suitable finance when their income, assets, or exit strategy fall outside standard lending criteria.

The firm says a £4.7 million facility it arranged shows how this can happen in practice. Recently, Orton secured a short-term, interest-only facility for clients purchasing a residential property in the South East for just over £3 million.

The clients, who worked in the investment sector, needed a facility that would allow them to complete the purchase before selling their existing home, with the proceeds then used to reduce the debt as part of their longer-term repayment strategy.

Luther Yeates, Founder and Head of Mortgages at Orton Financial, said: “There are segments in the high-value market that standard lenders do not reach properly. These are clients with high incomes, valuable assets, and a clear plan, but their circumstances do not always align with a conventional mortgage or a standard bridging product. This can leave them with limited options, or worse, pushed towards a structure that does not reflect what they actually need.”

High earners with valuable assets are assumed to have straightforward access to mortgages. But in many cases, mainstream lenders fail borrowers whose income, assets, or repayment plans do not fit neatly into a standard application.

Yeates explains, “A standard mortgage may not be suitable if the client expects to repay a large part of the debt shortly after completion. At the same time, traditional bridging finance may not provide enough leverage or flexibility for the client’s circumstances.”

Orton Financial said the advice has to start with the client’s full position, rather than forcing them into an off-the-shelf product. Yeates said: “What is their income? How is it paid? What assets do they have? What is the exit route? And what happens if they sell sooner than expected?”

Orton first refinanced the clients’ existing property onto a tracker product, allowing them to sell or repay without incurring exit penalties. It then secured a facility covering 90% of the combined property values, with the lender fee incorporated into the loan.

Structured as an 18-month, interest-only facility, the loan carried no exit penalties and was priced at 4.8%, compared with the 6.68% rate on other tracker mortgage options available to the clients at the time.

According to Orton, the arrangement provided an estimated annual interest saving of around £86,000, while retaining the flexibility for the clients to sell their existing home and reduce the outstanding debt at the appropriate time.

For high-value buyers, the lesson is that wealth alone does not guarantee a simple lending process. A buyer with high income and valuable assets will need advice on timing, tax planning, sale proceeds, investment income, and future repayments. In a competitive property market, the right structure can be the difference between securing a home calmly and being forced into an expensive decision. 

Luther Yeates concluded, “When it comes down to it, clients need finance that gives them the time and flexibility to arrange their affairs properly. That’s where specialist advice can make a real difference.”