Hilco Real Estate Finance

What Hilco Real Estate Finance does

Hilco Real Estate Finance is a UK-incorporated private real estate lending platform that provides short-term, flexible bridge financing for complex property transactions. Loan sizes range from £1 million to £150 million, deployed across more than a dozen asset classes including residential development, purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), care homes, hotels, industrial and logistics assets, offices, serviced accommodation, infrastructure (service stations, data centres, life sciences), farmland, and holiday parks. The firm operates through a broker-intermediary distribution model covering the UK, Channel Islands, and Republic of Ireland, with headquarters in London (20 North Audley Street) and a regional office in Dublin.

The business is backed by Hilco Global, an alternative asset manager with over $5 billion in assets under management and 40+ years of operating history, which provides capital strength, brand credibility, and operational support. Underwriting is manual and relationship-driven rather than technology-mediated: each deal is evaluated on its own merits with direct access to decision-makers, and no proprietary lending platform, API, or automated scoring system is disclosed. Revenue is generated primarily through interest income on short-duration, high-yield bridge loans, supplemented by transaction-related fees, with pricing negotiated deal-by-deal rather than via a published rate sheet.

The legal entity is Hilco London Limited, domiciled in the United Kingdom. The leadership bench is concentrated among co-founders Brad Altberger (CEO, ex-Nomura and GI Partners) and Max Lewis (CIO, ex-Arrow Global and Rothschild), with Chairman Neil Aaronson (President of the Americas at Hilco Global) and Senior Advisor Mark Tagliaferri (ex-GI Partners, Terra Firma) anchoring the senior governance. Total disclosed headcount is 1–10 employees, reflecting a lean origination-led model that relies on the broader Hilco platform for scale functions. The customer base skews to enterprise developers, high-net-worth investors, and institutional operators across the UK and Ireland, with no single customer visibly dominating disclosed originations.

Name

Hilco Real Estate Finance

Legal name

Hilco London Limited

Website

https://hilcoref.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hilco Real Estate Finance provides short-term bridge and flexible real estate loans from £1 million to £150 million across the UK, Channel Islands, and Ireland. Backed by Hilco Global, it serves developers, investors, and operators across more than a dozen asset classes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Lending

NAICS

Real Estate Credit (522292), Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

CRE Bridge & Transitional Lending (FSALADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bridge & Short-Term Real Estate Loan Intermediation (FSAEAEAG)

Keywords

• Bridge lending
• Real estate finance
• Short-term lending
• Property development loans
• Complex deal financing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Lending Interest: Hilco Real Estate Finance generates revenue through interest income on short-term bridge loans and flexible real estate financing. The company provides lending solutions ranging from £1 million to £150 million, with loans typically structured as short-duration, high-interest instruments for complex property transactions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hilco Real Estate Finance provides short-term, flexible real estate lending solutions across the UK, Channel Islands, and the Republic of Ireland, with loan sizes ranging from £1 million to £150 million. The company delivers bridge loans and complex deal financing for acquisitions, refinancing, development exits, and equity release across diverse asset classes including residential, hotels, industrial, logistics, offices, care homes, student accommodation, and infrastructure. Underwriting is conducted on a deal-by-deal basis with direct decision-maker access, working primarily through broker partners.

Product overview

Hilco Real Estate Finance operates as a unified short-term real estate lending platform offering flexible financing solutions across diverse asset classes. The company's core offerings include bridge loans, complex deal financing, and sector-specific lending products spanning residential, commercial, industrial, hospitality, and infrastructure real estate. Loan sizes range from £1 million to £150 million, with short duration lending, deal-by-deal underwriting, and flexible capital structures. The platform is backed by Hilco Global with over 40 years of experience and more than $5 billion in assets under management. The company works closely with brokers to deliver quick decisions and tailored financing through a relationship-driven approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Short-Term Residential Lending Flexible short-term residential loans for acquisitions, refinancing, or development exits, tailored to complex structures, timelines, and borrower needs. Loan sizes range from £1 million to £150 million.
• Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) Lending Tailored short-term loans for Purpose Built Student Accommodation, supporting acquisitions, refinancing, and stabilization during lease-up or transition.
• Care Home Lending Flexible lending for care homes, supporting acquisitions, refinancing, and transitional periods with focus on operational and ownership complexity.
• Industrial Asset Lending Short-term financing for industrial assets, including acquisitions, refinancing, and equity release, suited for complex structures and growth strategies.
• Logistics Property Lending Agile short-term loans for logistics properties, supporting acquisitions, refinancing, and strategic repositioning with fast, dependable execution.
• Hotel Financing Short-term hotel financing for acquisitions, refinancing, and repositioning, even in complex legal or ownership scenarios.
• Infrastructure Lending Flexible financing for infrastructure assets including roadside service stations, truck stops, data centres, and life sciences facilities.
• Private Hospitals and Healthcare Real Estate Lending Flexible financing solutions for operators of private hospitals and healthcare delivery sites.
• Serviced Accommodation Lending Short-term lending for serviced accommodation, ideal for acquisitions, refinancing, and restructuring in dynamic, high-demand markets.
• Office Property Lending Tailored short-term loans for office properties, supporting acquisition, refinancing, and repositioning strategies across varied ownership and tenant structures.
• Petrol Station Financing Specialist short-term financing for petrol stations, including redevelopment, acquisition, and lease-up, designed for complex sites and ownership structures.
• Farmland and Agricultural Lending Short-term loans for farmland and agricultural properties, supporting acquisitions, conversions, and refinancing with flexible underwriting for unique rural assets.
• Holiday Park Financing Financing for holiday parks, supporting acquisitions, refurbishments, and refinancing, designed for seasonal operations and complex ownership models.
• Bridge Loans Short-term bridging finance solutions providing quick capital for time-sensitive real estate transactions.
• Complex Deal Financing Creative, flexible financing solutions for complex property transactions with non-standard structures, ownership arrangements, or challenging circumstances.

Named customers21 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Roma Finance: Manchester-based bridging and development lender covering residential and commercial property deals. Direct peer in the short-term, broker-sourced UK bridging segment.
• Avamore Capital: London-based specialist bridging and development lender covering residential and commercial deals in a similar ticket-size band. Direct competitor pursuing flexible, deal-by-deal underwriting for complex structures.
• Together (Together Financial Services): Major UK specialist lender with an established bridging book spanning residential, commercial, and asset-backed deals across similar ticket sizes. Competes head-to-head for complex, non-prime real estate loans.
• United Trust Bank: UK challenger bank with a recognised bridging and structured real estate finance proposition. Direct rival in the short-term CRE lending space with overlapping broker channels.
• Shawbrook Bank: UK challenger bank with a dedicated commercial and bridging finance franchise covering similar deal sizes and asset classes. Most direct comparator for non-bank CRE bridge lending in the UK.
• Hope Capital: UK specialist bridging lender focused on short-term property finance with similar flexibility on ownership structures and asset types. Competes for the same broker-introduced deal flow.
• Interbridge Financial Group: UK bridging and development lender with comparable product range and ticket sizes. Notably shares executive lineage (Sean Adams) with Hilco Real Estate Finance, reflecting the tight talent pool in UK bridge lending.

Broad incumbents

• Lendinvest: Larger UK specialist lending platform covering bridging, development, and buy-to-let with broader distribution and a tech-enabled interface. Overlaps with Hilco REF in bridge and development but extends to longer-duration products.
• Octopus Real Estate: UK real estate finance arm of Octopus Group, focused on development and investment lending. Competes for institutional borrowers in larger, longer-duration transactions that overlap with the upper end of Hilco REF's range.
• Bluestone Mortgages: UK specialist residential mortgage lender with selective bridging exposure. A broader specialist incumbent operating adjacent to Hilco REF's residential bridge proposition, with scale advantages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hilcoref

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hilco Real Estate Finance