The latest Bridging Trends data was released earlier today. Compiled by us here at MT Finance, it provides a snapshot of the UK bridging industry and reflects the trends that are shaping the sector. Here’s what you need to know.
Borrowers favouring speed amid Budget uncertainty
As borrowers remain cautious about the upcoming Autumn Budget – and what’s going to happen to the base rate – many are turning to specialist lenders to fund their finance needs thanks to the speed and flexibility they offer. This is reflected in the fact that Bridging Trends contributors transacted £209.4 million in bridging loans in Q3 2025, a 4.9% increase on Q2’s £199.7 million.
A fifth of these transactions were used to fund the purchase of an investment asset, suggesting that landlords are looking to move quickly amid uncertainty around the upcoming Autumn Budget – and speculation that Stamp Duty could be increased.
This need to move quickly was also reflected in the average completion time, which fell by a week from 48 days in Q2 to 41 in Q3.
External factors taking their toll
A seemingly slower property market has been impacting borrowers whose exit strategy is resale. This has led to a sharp spike in re-bridges, which jumped from 7% in Q2 to 12% in Q3. Meanwhile, demand for refinance plummeted, with regulated refinance decreasing by a third from 18% in Q2 to 12% in Q3. Unregulated refinance nearly halved, falling from 11% in Q2 to 6% in Q3. This could be attributed to the fact that interest rates have been relatively stable over the past year, which may mean that a number of refinances have already taken place. Other borrowers are likely holding out in case there is another base rate drop before committing. The increase in refinances could be why the average monthly interest rate rose from 0.81% in Q2 to 0.85% in Q3.
Despite landlords looking to move quickly, the proportion of unregulated bridging loans fell very slightly from 55% in Q2 to 54% in Q3. Data provided by Knowledge Bank backs this, showing that the top criteria search made by UK bridging finance brokers in Q3 was ‘regulated bridging’.
The percentage of second charge bridging loans rose slightly from 10% in Q2 to 12% in Q3. The average loan-to-value rose fractionally from 54% in Q2 to 55% in Q3.
A solution-driven approach
Regardless of what’s happening in the wider economy, we’re here to support you and your clients. We know that the current economic climate has its own challenges but we will do everything we can to help find a solution that delivers the best possible outcome. Our regulated and unregulated bridging loans have been designed to be fast, efficient and versatile. They can be used for a variety of different purposes, from funding a property purchase to preventing a chain break. A second charge bridging loan can also be used to leverage equity.
If you’d like to find out more about our bridging loans then we’d love to hear from you. Simply fill in our online form and we’ll be in touch shortly.
Bridging Trends combines bridging loan completions from several specialist finance packagers operating within the UK bridging market: AFIG, Brightstar Financial, Capital B, Clever Lending, Clifton Private Finance, Complete FS, Enness, Impact Specialist Finance, LDNfinance, Optimum Commercial, Sirius Group, and UK Property Finance. The data for top broker criteria searches is supplied by Knowledge Bank.