Six areas of checks, dozens of questions — before a single opportunity reaches you.
Before a single opportunity reaches you, it goes through a structured due-diligence process across six areas — the developer, the funding, the building, the numbers, the legal position and compliance. If a deal fails on any of them, it never leaves our desk. This is what “fully vetted” actually means at BlackRidge.
Property sourcing is only as good as the checks behind it. Plenty of deals look excellent on a one-page flyer and fall apart the moment you interrogate the developer’s accounts, the funding structure or the build specification. We do that interrogation for you — and we do it before you’ve committed a penny.
1
The developer
Who is actually building this — and have they delivered before?
Companies House review — full filing history, incorporation date, years actively trading and any change of name or registered office.
Trading records & accounts — filed accounts, net asset position, and financial standing assessed for a business of this size and stage.
Delivery track record — previous schemes identified, visited where possible, and checked for on-time, on-spec completion.
Director history — the people behind the SPV, their prior companies, and any resignations, dissolutions or disqualifications.
Solvency & risk flags — county court judgments, winding-up history, charges registered against the company and its group.
Group & SPV structure — how the development company sits within the wider group, and who ultimately controls it.
2
Funding & deal structure
How the scheme is paid for — and where your money sits until you own the asset.
Funding structure — how the development is capitalised: senior development debt, equity, forward-funding or forward-sale.
Development lender & security — who is funding the build, the facility in place, and the security held over the site.
Title & the SPV — which entity holds legal title, and how your purchase is protected within that structure.
Build contract — the JCT / design-and-build contract, the main contractor, and retention held against defects.
Payment structure — the reservation fee, exchange deposit and any staged payments — and the schedule they follow.
Deposit protection — whether deposits are held by stakeholder solicitors, in escrow, or protected by insurance or a warranty scheme.
Exchange & longstop — the exchange mechanics, the completion trigger, and the longstop date that protects you if the build overruns.
3
The building & specification
Is it built to standard — with materials and warranties that stand up?
Build specification — the full spec and finishes schedule reviewed against what is being marketed and priced.
Materials to standard — structural and finishing materials checked as compliant with current British Standards and Building Regulations.
Structural warranty — a 10-year NHBC, ICW, LABC or Advantage warranty confirmed — not assumed.
Fire & cladding compliance — external wall system, EWS1 position and fire-safety compliance verified in the post-Grenfell regime.
Certificates — Building Regulations completion, EPC rating, and gas/electrical certification on handover.
M&E, thermal & acoustic — mechanical & electrical spec, insulation, sound-proofing and energy performance to standard.
Snagging & handover — the inspection and snagging process before you accept the keys, and how defects are put right.
4
The numbers
Modelled net of every cost — never on a flattering headline yield.
Independent rental evidence — real comparables and letting-agent demand data, not the developer’s projection taken at face value.
Net-of-costs modelling — voids, management, service charge, ground rent, maintenance, insurance and (where relevant) HMO licensing and bills.
True purchase cost — stamp duty including the additional-property and non-resident surcharges, legal fees and all buying costs.
Interest-rate stress test — the deal re-run at higher borrowing costs to confirm it still holds together.
Capital-growth basis — any growth figure grounded in a defensible source, and clearly flagged as illustrative, not promised.
Exit & liquidity — how and to whom you could sell, and how quickly, before you ever commit.
5
Legal & title
The paperwork that decides what you actually own.
Tenure & lease terms — lease length, ground rent, service charge and any escalation clauses read in full.
Title register & restrictions — the registered title, covenants, easements and restrictions that run with the property.
Planning & conditions — planning consent, any conditions still to be discharged, and permitted use.
Searches — local authority, environmental, drainage and flood-risk searches reviewed.
Management & estate charges — the managing agent, the service-charge budget, and how future costs are controlled.
6
Compliance & your protection
The checks that keep the transaction clean and you covered.
AML & source of funds — anti-money-laundering and know-your-client checks completed before any money moves.
Independent solicitors — you are represented by your own conveyancer — panel-recommended, never ours to instruct on your behalf.
Reservation terms — the reservation agreement, what it commits you to, and any cooling-off period explained up front.
Full disclosure — every figure, fee and assumption put in front of you in writing before you decide.
What makes us walk away
We would rather bring you nothing than bring you the wrong thing. A deal is rejected outright if we find:
A developer with a thin trading record or a history of delayed or undelivered schemes
Accounts or director history that don’t stand up to scrutiny
An opaque funding structure, or deposits that aren’t properly protected
A build specification or warranty position that falls short of standard
Unresolved cladding or fire-safety questions
Rents or yields that only work on the developer’s optimistic figures
Lease terms, ground rent or service charges that erode the return
Anything that can’t be evidenced in writing
Want to see the process applied to a live deal?
Ask us for a current opportunity and we’ll walk you through exactly what we checked, and what we found.
Our due-diligence process is thorough but does not replace your own professional advisers. You should always take independent legal, tax and, where relevant, financial and surveying advice before purchasing. BlackRidge Global provides property sourcing services and does not offer regulated financial advice. Property values and rents can fall as well as rise and your capital is at risk.
Let’s point you the right way
Two quick questions, then we’ll open WhatsApp with your answers ready to send.