Can I Get Development Finance with No Development Experience?

Yes, but with conditions. A track record is the single biggest comfort a development lender can have, so first-time developers need to replace it with other forms of reassurance. Plenty of first schemes get funded every year; the ones that do are structured carefully.

What lenders worry about with first-timers

Cost overruns, programme delays, poor contractor management and an unrealistic exit. Every requirement below is designed to address one of those risks.

What you need to bring instead of experience

• An experienced contractor: a main contractor with a track record on similar schemes, on a fixed-price contract, is the most important single factor.
• A professional team: architect, quantity surveyor or project manager, and a structural engineer where relevant.
• A realistic appraisal: detailed build costs with a 10–15% contingency, a sensible programme, and GDV evidence from local comparable sales, ideally supported by an agent's letter.
• Planning in place: lenders will not fund a first-time developer on a speculative planning play.
• Cash contribution: expect to put in 25–35% of total costs. Lenders fund less of the cost for first-timers than for experienced developers.
• Relevant transferable experience: if you have refurbished property, run a construction business or managed large projects, say so.

What the terms look like

First-time developers can typically expect to borrow 55–65% of Gross Development Value and 75–85% of total costs, compared with 65–70% and 90% for experienced developers. Pricing is higher. Monitoring surveyor visits will be more frequent, and the lender may insist on a fixed-price build contract.

Sensible first schemes

Lenders prefer first projects to be simple: a single new-build house, a small conversion, or a heavy refurbishment of an existing building. Multi-unit new-build schemes are possible with a strong team but harder to place.

Alternatives if development finance is not available

Bridging finance for a refurbishment project, or a joint venture with an experienced developer, can both build the track record that unlocks mainstream development funding for the next scheme.

How DNA Finance approaches first-time developers

We know which lenders genuinely fund first schemes and what they need to see. We help you assemble the appraisal and team information lenders expect, and we present the scheme in the way that gets it approved.