Roma Finance’s Charlotte Rutter will be our first speaker at the Build North Expo, discussing Roma’s role as a lender to housebuilders, and what they bring to the sector in terms of aiding the construction industry.

Q) What can attendees expect to hear from Roma Finance during your talk?

A) Property Investment and development is a hot topic and there are plenty of opportunities to be had. The start of 2025 has been the busiest period to date for Roma with our highest levels of new business coming in and the launch of the new ranges FLOW, GROW, PRO – buy-to-let is back! The levels of activity show just how many opportunities are out there for refurbishment, ground up development and straight forward flips.

Q) What role can Roma Finance play in helping to grow housebuilding in the construction sector?

A) Roma provides finance to those looking to add value to property and ultimately create prosperity. We have three ‘Roma persona’s’; Property Developers, tradespeople looking to do property development for themselves and those who are a professional in another field. We build relationships with our partners and borrowers and provide support them the entire way through their journey.

Q) What makes Roma as a lender different to other options in the market?

A) Roma really goes the extra mile for all borrowers and has a reputation based on helping property professionals obtain the best possible outcome. Our default rate is less than 1%, far below the industry average. We absolutely love to lend and with 10 funding lines we have the ability to be flexible and agile. It is this action that sees our borrowers returning to us again and again.

Q) Do you think the governments ambitious housebuilding targets will help to boost the sector over the coming years?

A) Looking at recent years, we haven’t been too successful with housing targets. They are ambitious but they will only have a hope in succeeding if process and policy changes are made and the housing industry has full backing by the government and investment is made in those that drive the economy.

Q) Have you noticed any significant change in the housebuilding/property industry over the last few years?

A) Labour and materials have been highly changeable over the last few years in terms of cost and availability – this makes the outcome unpredictable. Property investors are buying better and following the investment to ensure they get a better outcome. From Roma’s perspective, we have never been busier and are seeing more and more projects coming to fruition.

Q) What do you want to see from the new government in 2025 in order to support the property/construction sector?

A) I want to see change to process – speeding up planning, cutting red tape and real investment made into the economy; that is harnessing those who can drive growth and therefore confidence in the market.