Topland reports £150m of RE lending in 2017

Topland Group, which is led by property investor Sol Zakay, has provided £150 million of real estate lending this year, the firm has reported.

The group is aiming to deploy £400 million across the commercial and residential real estate sectors by the end of this year.

Topland’s structured finance division wrote £75 million of commercial loans and joint venture funding during Q1 2017, alongside £75 million of residential loans.

The firm’s lending activity includes bridging loans, joint ventures with developers and finance for planning opportunities– the group’s total loan book now exceeds £500 million allocated to UK-wide schemes with a combined gross development value of £900 million.

Topland reported seeing a growing demand for bridging loans during the course of 2017 and an increased emphasis on lending activity on commercial assets, land and mixed-use projects.

The year’s deals include a £14 million stretch senior bridging loan on an industrial park in Wembley, London, a £24 million mixed-use development financing in London’s Knightsbridge, a £25 million commercial site assembly opportunity on Stratford High Street, a bridging loan on brownfield land in Middlesbrough and two bridging loans against operational student housing schemes in Bradford and Hull.

“Following a successful 2016, our structured finance division has hit the ground running in 2017 and is beginning to cement its status as a challenger bank. Our ability to understand entrepreneurial business models, add value through development/management expertise and to deploy capital quickly, makes us a credible alternative in an era of conservative lending,” said Zakay.

Topland also announced the appointment of Sumeer Bose from Laxfield Capital, who will be focussed on short-term lending opportunities for commercial assets.

“Sumeer’s analytical skills and experience in commercial lending will be a huge asset to the team as we continue to drive growth. Having had a strong start to the year, we expect to see continued demand for our diverse suite of products as the best investors and developers begin to look at increasingly innovative ways to find and deliver value,” said Tom Betts, director of structured finance at Topland.