25 yrs
Arranging finance
About us
A build to rent finance arranger on the developer's side
Led by Matt Lenzie, with 25 years and more than £500 million of UK funding arranged.
The authority behind the site
Matt Lenzie, Founder & Principal Broker
Matt Lenzie founded Build to Rent Development Finance after more than 25 years arranging property and development finance across the UK. Over that time he has structured and placed more than £500 million of funding, from single residential schemes and refinances to ground-up build-to-rent developments and forward-funded portfolios.
Much of that career was spent on the lender's side of the table, which is where the relationships come from. He knows how the development and residential investment desks underwrite a BTR scheme: how they read the build cost and the gross development value, how they treat rental growth, net operating income and the gross-to-net, and where they price the difference between a building site and a stabilised, income-producing asset. That is the difference between an introduction and a funded deal.
Every enquiry is read, structured and taken to market by Matt himself. There is no junior desk and no hand-off. Developers, investors and operators deal directly with the person arranging their finance.
£500m+
Funding arranged
100+
Lender relationships
Direct
Every deal, no hand-off
What we do
We arrange finance for build to rent schemes across the UK. We read the scheme and the developer, take the case to the lenders most likely to back it, and place the facility that funds the build, forward funding, refinance or stabilised position you need. We work across BTR development finance, forward funding and forward commitment, bridging, investment and stabilisation finance, BTR investment finance, refinance, development exit finance, mezzanine and equity, single-family housing finance and co-living finance.
We are an arranger and introducer, not a lender. We are paid to find the developer or investor the right facility, so our incentive sits with the borrower rather than any one funder.
Why developer and income knowledge matters
Build to rent lending is not underwritten like a standard commercial mortgage. The specialist desks read the developer track record and operator covenant, build cost, gross development value and stabilised rental income, and they value the rental scheme as an income-producing asset on stabilised net operating income (NOI) rather than on bricks and mortar alone. Knowing which lender backs which developer and scheme type, at what leverage and on what terms, is the difference between a deal that funds and one that stalls.
The company
Build to Rent Development Finance is a trading name of Lenzie Consulting Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 08174104. Registered office: Lynch Farm, Kensworth, Dunstable, LU6 3QZ.
Tell us about your scheme
Send us the outline and Matt will come back with a view on fundability and likely terms.