About
Lendstride supports UK SME property developers to secure commercial property finance by making each opportunity lender-ready and running a disciplined funding process from first pack through to completion.
After years working within global accounting and private equity firms (e.g. PwC, The Carlyle Group), followed by several years working within real estate investment management, our founder Markus created Lendstride to bring an institutional-grade approach to developer borrowing, combining clear information, robust financial analysis and proactive process management so lenders and borrowers can move quickly and confidently.
Mission and Approach
We believe that every developer should have access to institutional-grade support when arranging debt.
Our mission is to increase the efficiency of SME developer borrowing by reducing friction in the lender process - improving the quality of submissions, speeding up decisions, and helping developers compare terms properly (price, leverage, fees, covenants, conditions precedent and drawdowns).
We partner with entrepreneurial developers and property businesses who are building and repositioning assets across the UK.
Our approach is collaborative, detail-orientated and pragmatic. We combine the rigour and expectations of institutional counterparties with an understanding of how SME developers operate in the real world of tight timelines and many moving parts).
Credentials
Before launching Lendstride, our founder Markus built his career across finance, private equity and real estate - including roles at PwC, The Carlyle Group, and within smaller, entrepreneurial firms where high standards in thinking and execution were paramount.
Markus is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and has spent years seeing what "lender / investor-grade" looks like in practice: the quality of information required, the discipline of process, and the importance of anticipating diligence questions early.
Today, Markus brings that same rigour to SME developer borrowing by translating a scheme into a clear, credible, lender-ready proposition and then managing momentum across lenders, valuers and solicitors through to completion.
Selected case studies*
1. Bridging acquisition - lender-ready pack on a tight deadline
Client:
UK SME developer acquiring an asset with a short exchange / completion timetable.
Challenges:
Incomplete documentation, tight timeline, need for a clear exit strategy and lender-ready narrative.
What we did:
Built a lender submission pack covering sources & uses, security summary, exit plan, borrower profile, key risks/mitigants, etc.; tightened the financial model and sensitivities; coordinated Q&A with the lender and maintained a clear conditions-precedent tracker alongside legals / valuation.
Result:
A clearer credit narrative, faster lender feedback, and a controlled process through to completion.
Timeline:
Pack within 3 working days; indicative terms within 10 days.
2. Development finance - structured lender process and drawdown planning
Client:
Developer seeking a senior development facility for a residential-led scheme.
Challenges:
Evolving cost plan, drawdown / monitoring requirements, ensuring the story, numbers and build programme were aligned.
What we did:
Refined the development appraisal and sensitivities, stress-tested cost and GDV assumptions, packaged the planning / delivery narrative, coordinated third-party inputs (QS, monitoring surveyor, valuer) and managed lender Q&A through credit.
Result:
A lender-ready presentation of the scheme and a clearer path through diligence and credit committee.
Timeline:
6 weeks end-to-end to completion.
3. Refinance / restructure - expiring facility and covenant / term optimisation
Client:
Property company refinancing an existing facility ahead of maturity.
Challenges:
Time pressure, need to compare options across rates / fees, amortisation, covenants and conditions precedent, minimise execution risk.
What we did:
Built a concise refinance pack and scenario comparison, structured the “ask” for lenders, managed information flow and Q&A, maintained a clear timetable and deliverables list across stakeholders.
Result:
A more controlled refinance process with clearer trade-offs and fewer last-minute surprises.
Timeline:
6 weeks end-to-end to completion.
* whilst working in an in-house role
