Two Very Different Lenders
You’re choosing between two very different lenders. Together is a specialist, asset-led lender that takes complex and non-standard cases, including first-time developers; Close Brothers is a mid-market bank arm that structures in-house and weights heavily on your track record.
Your profile decides which door opens. Together’s asset-led view widens who can borrow, while Close Brothers’ bank discipline rewards a proven developer and structures around the deal, and that difference shows up in what your cash flow carries.
You won’t judge these two on rate alone. A non-standard scheme belongs at Together and a clean mid-market build at Close Brothers, and your broker will usually split them that way the day the enquiry lands.
Access and Appetite
You’ll feel the difference first in who says yes. Together leans on the asset and the exit, so complex ownership, unusual sites or a thin track record are less likely to stop it; Close Brothers looks hard at the developer behind the scheme.
Your track record matters far more to one than the other. Close Brothers rewards a strong delivery history with sharper terms, while Together will back a first scheme the bank would pass on, at a price your cash flow carries.
You can’t hide a thin track record from Close Brothers. That is the real dividing line between the two, and it usually decides who you approach first.
Deal Size and Structuring
You’ll size the lender to the scheme. Close Brothers works the mid-market, roughly £750,000 to £20m, and structures stretch senior and even joint ventures in-house; Together spreads wider, taking smaller and more unusual deals on an asset-led basis.
At £750,000 to £20m, a single Close Brothers team can shape stretch senior or a JV around a strong sponsor, keeping the capital stack, and your cash flow, under one roof. That is the edge an in-house lender holds.
You can’t get an in-house JV out of every lender. At quarter-end your finance director asks whether a JV or a stretch senior line frees more equity, and that is a question only a lender structuring in-house can really answer.
What Each One Costs
You pay for access and flexibility, not just money. Together generally prices above a mainstream bank to reflect its broader, asset-led risk; Close Brothers can price competitively for a strong mid-market sponsor with a clean track record.
At about 6.5 to 9.5% a year, a strong Close Brothers sponsor pays nearer the senior-market rate, while Together backs deals others decline and charges for it. The pricing gap is fair, not arbitrary.
You can’t expect the cheapest rate and the widest access at once. On the day a high-street bank declines, a Together facility can still close, and the extra cost is what buys your cash flow the deal it needed done.
Which One to Approach
You should let the scheme’s shape choose. A complex, non-standard or first-time deal points to Together; a clean mid-market build with a proven sponsor, or a need for bespoke in-house structuring, points to Close Brothers.
Your broker’s current read still matters most. Both lenders shift terms with capacity and market conditions, so a broker who places deals with each one protects your cash flow better than any static comparison.
You won’t see either lender’s real appetite on a rate card. At month-end your accountant asks the broker which lender is live on your scheme type now, so the approach matches the market rather than a reputation.
Together vs Close Brothers FAQs
What is the difference between Together and Close Brothers development finance?
They serve different developers. Together is an asset-led specialist lender that focuses on the security and the exit, so it will consider complex ownership, non-standard sites and first-time developers that a mainstream bank might decline. Close Brothers Property Finance is a mid-market bank arm that structures deals in-house and weights heavily on a developer’s delivery record, offering sharper terms to proven sponsors. The choice comes down to your profile and the scheme, not a headline rate.
Which is better for a first-time developer?
Together is usually the more realistic option for a first-time or non-standard developer, because its asset-led approach leans on the security and the exit rather than a long delivery history. Close Brothers looks hard at track record and tends to reward experienced sponsors, so a first scheme can be harder to place there. The trade-off is price: Together’s broader access typically costs more than the terms a proven developer would secure at Close Brothers.
How big a scheme does Close Brothers fund?
Close Brothers Property Finance works largely in the mid-market, roughly £750,000 to £20m, and one of its strengths is structuring deals in-house, including stretch senior facilities and joint ventures. That means a single team can shape the capital stack around a strong sponsor. Together is less about a fixed band and more about the asset, so it will take smaller and more unusual deals on their merits.
Is Together more expensive than Close Brothers?
Generally, yes, for a comparable scheme, because Together prices for the broader, asset-led risk it takes on deals other lenders decline. A strong mid-market sponsor at Close Brothers can pay closer to the mainstream senior market rate, currently around 6.5 to 9.5% a year on development finance. The right way to compare is total cost against certainty of funding: Together’s higher price can be worth it if it backs a deal a cheaper lender would refuse.
How we compared Together and Close Brothers development finance
What we covered. We compare two contrasting development finance lenders in 2026: Together, an asset-led specialist, and Close Brothers Property Finance, a mid-market bank arm. We look at access, deal size, in-house structuring and pricing. We do not rely on comparison-site summaries.
Data sources. Deal-size, structuring and appetite points were checked against primary sources in July 2026, including each lender’s development finance pages and the assessment in our best development finance lenders roundup.
How we handle gaps. Together does not publish standard development rates, so we describe its pricing qualitatively rather than inventing a figure, and we give the senior market range as context. Where data is thin, we say so.
Update cadence. We re-verify this page at least monthly, and whenever a lender changes criteria or pricing. The verification date reflects the most recent full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, see our editorial policy.
Regulatory note. This page is editorial content, not regulated financial advice. Development finance to a limited company or investor is generally unregulated lending, so compare facilities and read the terms before you sign.