Jon Evennett, a housebuilder for the past 16 years in the South West, describes his initial contact with Bricks Finance to discuss lending for his latest project – an exclusive development of four and five-bedroom homes in Somerset – as being like a breath of fresh air. “The guys were just great and I couldn’t be more pleased at how it has been to work with them,” says Jon, Director at Peninsular Developments SW Ltd.

“Obviously, having been in the property building business for some time I was used to the more traditional methods of raising finance. But around 2007/08 when the financial crisis happened, the game just changed and it became so hard to raise finance, even if you had a perfectly viable proposition for the banks to lend to. They just didn’t want to know and it made it so difficult and time-consuming to raise the money – even if you had a good project,” adds Jon.

That’s where contact with Bricks came in. Linked up with the business through a friend who knew partner Clive Banks, it wasn’t long before an informal discussion had led to a formal offer of money to back his plans. “That’s the great thing about the guys from Bricks – they have been there themselves in business and so they know how it works and they can empathise with what you are trying to achieve,” reveals Jon. “I was really pleased with how quickly the decision was taken to lend me the money, how soon I had access to the finance, and how enthusiastic Bricks is about being involved in the project.

“I’d certainly use them again for future projects and I would recommend them to anyone looking to raise finance. These days the old ways of doing it seem so bound up in red tape, it’s been good for me to work with such a dynamic group of guys who support you 100% of the way in what you are doing.”