What is GDV (gross development value)?
GDV is the number every development deal turns on. Here is what gross development value means, how it is set, and why the lender's figure is the one that counts.
Updated July 2026 · 5 min read · By Housn Capital
What GDV means
, almost always shortened to GDV, is the expected market value of a development once all the work is complete and the units are ready to sell or let. If a project will produce six flats, the GDV is what those six flats are expected to be worth in total when finished. It is the single most important number in a development finance application.
Why it matters so much
A development lender is really lending against the finished scheme, not the bare site. So the facility is sized against the GDV — the loan is expressed as a percentage of that finished value. That is why the GDV shapes how much can be borrowed and how the whole deal is structured.
Sizes the facility
The loan is set against the finished value
Frames the exit
A sale or at the GDV repays the loan
Tests the margin
GDV against costs shows if the scheme stacks up
Who sets the GDV
You will have your own view of what the finished scheme is worth, but it is not your figure the lending decision rests on. The lender instructs an independent valuer to verify the GDV, and that professional valuation is what the facility is based on. A realistic, well-evidenced GDV — backed by comparable sales — makes for a smoother application. An optimistic one gets found out.
Get the numbers looked at
Understanding how your GDV stacks against costs is the difference between a scheme that funds and one that stalls. Housn Capital introduces you to a specialist broker who can sense-check the numbers and match the scheme to the right lender. Tell us about the project to get matched.
Frequently asked questions
The expected market value of a development once all the work is complete. Six flats expected to be worth £3m in total once built would be a £3m GDV. Development lending is sized against it.
Next step
Thinking about development for a project?
Tell us a little about your deal and we’ll introduce you to a specialist broker who can talk through the options.
Housn Capital Limited. Not FCA regulated. B2B non-regulated lending only. Company No. 16418877. General information, not financial advice.