Having been involved in specialist property finance for more than three decades, I’ve seen the bridging sector move through multiple market cycles. What’s striking about the current period is not just that bridging continues to grow, but that it’s doing so against a relatively flat wider market – a clear sign that its role has fundamentally changed.
Over time, bridging has evolved from a relatively small, specialist solution into a £14bn market that now plays a central role in the property finance ecosystem.
Importantly, that growth hasn’t simply been about volumes. It has been accompanied by higher standards, stronger underwriting, better use of data and a much broader base of brokers and borrowers engaging with the product.
That resilience isn’t accidental, and it isn’t purely cyclical. One of the most significant drivers has been greater awareness of how bridging can be used.
One of the biggest drivers has been greater awareness and understanding of how bridging can be used and the awareness of property professionals.
It’s no longer just about chain breaks or short-term urgency. Brokers and borrowers now turn to our specialist lenders for bridging to fund refurbishment projects, property conversions, semi-commercial assets and to manage cashflow more strategically within a buy to let portfolio.
At the same time, investors are far more focused on adding value rather than relying on capital growth alone. Bridging finance lends itself well to that approach because it allows borrowers to move quickly, execute a clear plan, and then refinance or exit once value has been created.
That combination of speed and flexibility remains particularly valuable in a market that still demands adaptability.
We’ve also seen more brokers from the residential and buy-to-let space engaging with bridging as they recognise it as a practical problem-solving tool rather than a niche product.
That broader broker involvement has helped embed bridging into mainstream advice, even while other areas of the market have slowed.
Looking ahead, opportunity often comes from uncertainty, and that remains true in the current environment. Development finance, refurbishment-led projects, semi-commercial assets and alternative exit strategies continue to present strong opportunities.
We’re also seeing increasing creativity in how deals are structured, with bridging sitting alongside longer-term finance as part of a planned journey rather than as a standalone solution.
For brokers, the opportunity lies in understanding the wider specialist finance ecosystem and using bridging more confidently as part of a broader solution for clients. For lenders, it’s about depth of proposition, clarity of criteria and continued investment in people and processes that deliver consistent outcomes.
Regulation and oversight will remain an important part of the conversation. While much of bridging operates outside full regulation, the direction of travel is clear: transparency, evidence and accountability matter more than ever.
A core part of the BDLA’s role is ensuring that the voice of bridging and development lenders is properly represented in discussions with the FCA, HM Treasury and policymakers.
Having spent much of my career working in and around Westminster, I’ve seen first-hand the importance of evidence-led, constructive engagement. Regulators want to understand how markets function in practice, and trade bodies play a vital role in providing that insight and context.
Proportionate, evidence-based regulation supports both consumer protection and market stability without unintentionally restricting access to finance.
As the sector grows, fraud prevention becomes increasingly important. Fraud is one of the most significant risks facing lenders, both financially and reputationally, and it isn’t something any firm can tackle in isolation.
Shared intelligence and collaborative approaches are essential if we are to protect the integrity of the market as a whole.
Education also underpins everything. As bridging becomes more mainstream, ensuring that brokers and lender teams fully understand how products work, how they interact with other forms of finance and how to deliver good customer outcomes is critical.
Professional development and structured education will continue to play a key role in supporting sustainable growth.
My objectives as CEO of the BDLA are clear: to strengthen standards, deepen engagement and broaden representation across the sector. That means encouraging more lenders to operate under a shared Code of Conduct, increasing participation in collective initiatives around data, fraud prevention and education, and continuing to build constructive dialogue with regulators and policymakers.
The bridging and development finance sector has reached a point of real maturity. Continued growth now depends less on scale and more on standards, collaboration and confidence. By working together as an industry, we can ensure bridging remains not just a solution for today’s challenges, but a trusted and integral part of the UK’s property and SME finance landscape for years to come.
