© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
Hilco Real Estate Finance (HREF) this week completed an £11.5m 12 month bridging loan on The Platform, a prominent, 488-unit, purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) building located in Liverpool.
The loan allowed the borrower to repay existing indebtedness on the recently acquired asset. HREF was able to turn the deal around at a rapid pace in order to meet borrower deadlines, moving from initial engagement to funds being transferred in just over 14 days.
The Platform, located close to both the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, is one of the leading purpose-built student accommodation buildings in the region, having been newly built in 2021 and performing strongly since its opening.
HREF Director Steve Allen said: “We are seeing more enquiries from borrowers in the student accommodation market, and we are very pleased that we were able to deliver funds so quickly on this loan in the highly dynamic Merseyside market. This is the second student accommodation completion for HREF over the last 12 months and we see this as a sector where we can add real value. The sponsor in this case has a strong track record and the asset is well positioned to take advantage of several strong local universities.”
Max Lewis, HREF Chief Investment Officer, said: “This was a large and complicated transaction that HREF was able to complete in just two weeks, precisely because we are deploying our own capital, and are therefore able to lend with greater certainty and faster. This showcases HREF’s market leading speed of completion and deal execution capabilities.”
Valuations for the transaction were undertaken by JLL, and legal due diligence was provided by Clarion.
HREF was launched in 2023 and provides tailored, flexible property finance nationwide across various real estate sectors and capital structures, offering short term bridging loans for growth, acquisition opportunities, development exits and refinancing exits with loan sizes ranging from £3m to over £150m.
The lender has grown quickly to become one the UK’s most active specialist bridge lenders, and continues to target growth, intending to expand its loan book significantly in 2025 across all real estate sectors in the UK and Ireland.
HREF has offices throughout the UK and comprises a team of highly experienced finance professionals. It is a fully integrated subsidiary of Hilco Global (Hilco), the multi-national financial services group with more than $5bn of assets under management.