Roma Finance is a specialist property lender based in Manchester. They describe themselves as providing "lending less ordinary," focusing on complex projects, speed, and manual decision-making.
Important Distinction: Roma Finance is predominantly an unregulated lender.
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They do not offer regulated residential mortgages for you to buy a home to live in.
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Their products are strictly for investment purposes (e.g., Buy-to-Let, commercial property, or property development).
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Because they operate in the unregulated space, they can make decisions much faster than high-street banks, but you do not have the same consumer protections (such as the Financial Ombudsman Service) as you would with a regulated homeowner mortgage.
If you have seen a buy-to-let mortgage rate advertised by Roma Finance and wish to compare it against the rest of the market, you can use our free mortgage-sourcing tool below, or speak to a broker for a comparison of their bridging products.
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Lender Details
Product Details
About Roma Finance
Founded in 2008, Roma Finance was built to support property investors, developers, and landlords who need fast, flexible funding. Their philosophy is "Borrower First."
They do not use automated credit scoring. Instead, they use manual underwriting and often invite borrowers to meet the decision-makers (either virtually or in person) to discuss the project. This allows them to fund deals that look "messy" on paper - such as dilapidated properties, auction purchases, or complex renovations - by focusing on the value of the asset and the borrower's exit strategy.
Mortgage & Finance Products
Roma Finance lends on properties across England, Wales, and Scotland.
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Bridging Finance:
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RomaFLOW: Their "fast-track" bridging channel designed for standard residential bridging and auction finance. They aim to complete these loans in 28 days or less (often faster).
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Refurbishment: Funding for Light, Medium, and Heavy refurbishment. Unusually, they can lend up to 100% of the build costs in arrears.
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Auction Finance: Speed is critical here, and Roma is a well-known lender in the auction rooms for meeting the strict 28-day completion deadlines.
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Buy-to-Let (BTL) & Holiday Let:
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Bridge-to-Term: A unique feature. You can use a Roma bridging loan to buy/renovate a property and then seamlessly switch to a Roma Buy-to-Let mortgage to keep the property long-term.
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Specialist BTL: They finance HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation), Holiday Lets (Airbnb), and Serviced Accommodation.
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Top Slicing: They can use a borrower’s personal surplus income to "top up" the loan if the rental income doesn't quite fit the stress test.
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Ground-Up Development: Loans for developers building new houses or flats from scratch.
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Developer Exit: Loans for developers who have finished a site but need more time to sell the units, releasing capital for their next project.
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Pros and Cons of Roma Finance
Here is a balanced overview of choosing Roma for your project.
Pros:
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Scottish Lending: Unlike many Manchester/London-based specialist lenders who stop at the border, Roma actively lends in Scotland (Mainland) for bridging and BTL.
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Bridge-to-Term: The ability to stay with the same lender for the purchase, the renovation, and the long-term mortgage saves huge amounts of money on legal fees and new valuation costs.
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Manual Underwriting: You deal with humans. They are willing to interview you to understand your business plan, which is great for entrepreneurs with complex backgrounds.
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RomaFLOW: If you have a straightforward bridging deal, their fast-track process is genuinely quick, removing much of the legal red tape found elsewhere.
Cons:
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Unregulated Only: They cannot help you save your own home from repossession or buy a property for your family to live in.
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Cost: As a non-bank lender funded by institutional capital, their rates are higher than high-street banks. You are paying for speed and flexibility.
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Intermediary Led: While they accept enquiries, the complexity of bridging usually requires a specialist broker to package the case correctly for the underwriter.
Customer Service and Reviews
Roma Finance generally has a strong reputation in the property industry.
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Feefo / Reviews: They typically hold positive ratings (often 4.5+ out of 5), with borrowers praising the personal approach—specifically the ability to speak to the underwriter directly rather than a call centre script.
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Broker Feedback: Mortgage brokers rate them highly for their "transparency." They are known for issuing terms they stick to, rather than changing the price at the last minute.
How to Apply
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Through a Broker (recommended): For Development and Complex Bridging, it is highly recommended to use a specialist commercial finance broker.
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Direct Enquiry: You can submit a proposal directly via their website. Their Business Development Managers (BDMs) are very active and often willing to discuss a potential deal over the phone before you apply.
Get started here to book a free, no-obligation chat with a mortgage broker who specialises in Roma’s product range, can compare it against the market for you and help you secure the finance you need.
FAQs
Yes. They accept first-time investors, provided the project makes sense and you have the necessary team (e.g., builders) in place for any renovations.
