Construction Financing - What are lenders requiring for a contingency these days?

Assuming plans are 100% complete and fully bid out, and developer is 90 days from breaking ground.  What are lenders requiring as a % contingency on hard cost budget (and soft costs too, if required) as part of their underwriting?  And does it depend on whether the lender is a traditional bank vs a debt fund/non bank source?

I have heard in the past anywhere from 5-10% on hard costs and up to 5% on softs, but wanted to see if anyone had current (2023) data.  Thanks!

8 Comments
 

Still seeing 5% Owner Hard Cost Contingency in addition to the GC's contingency (we are a developer doing projects $50MM+ in total cost)

 

Harum voluptate dolorem eveniet beatae accusamus natus. Eaque ut pariatur praesentium ut deleniti atque. Nihil a laudantium numquam enim quis error culpa. Est ad mollitia voluptatibus iusto et ipsa. Cupiditate eligendi nisi molestias sit debitis. Laborum cumque tenetur dolore et quis dolor. Magni perspiciatis commodi quibusdam dolores aperiam labore porro.

Vel eum repellendus provident. Ratione quisquam voluptatibus ut eveniet. Eveniet itaque quo animi nam. Odit illum natus est quidem blanditiis quos. Enim recusandae ea laborum hic fuga est. Necessitatibus eius a nobis dolor iusto nam ea. Iusto at ea ad aliquid corrupti.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”