“Between April and June, we’ve actually seen an increase in our average loan of 14% in the unregulated market and 16% in the regulated market. That highlights our appetite is expanding in that larger loan space while we’ll always have our core bread and butter supporting all clients [too]”

Dan Narwal, Together

“At Together, we’ve been doing this for just over 50 years as a solution-based lender and specialist lender − it’s all we’ve ever done. [For us it’s about] being able to support that market with our experienced background”

Sally Precious Ward, Together

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Bridging booms as brokers seek agility

How can they best take advantage of this fast-growing market and thrive in the months to come?

Read on

Dan Narwal

Together

Sally Precious Ward

Together

Industry experts

BRIDGING IS booming in the UK, with short-term lending fast becoming a solution of choice. The question now for brokers is how they can best take advantage of this fast-growing market and thrive in the months to come. In a recent roundtable hosted by Insurance Business, Sally Precious Ward, key account manager at Together; Dan Narwal, key account manager at Together; Billie Cox, commercial associate at Sirius Finance; and Joe Aston, sales and commercial director at Aria Finance, convened to explore the trends in the regulated and unregulated bridging markets − examining why more customers are choosing bridging across a wide range of property types and loan purposes in the UK, where bridging is particularly popular. “Whilst bridging is still used for distress, I would say there’s [some] key reasons why people would use bridging − more commonly, it tends to be for financial growth,” explained Precious Ward. “Clients who’re buying properties at auctions, or properties to flip, may be borrowing funds for business purposes using a bridge… [T]here may also be an emotive reason as to why they’re buying a property. [For instance], it could be the dream family home but they haven’t yet sold their existing property… [T]hat distress reason, however, is probably the least common reason that we see applications come through to us now.”

together from the outset isn’t exactly what transpires to the end. [Because] with bridges, more often than not, brokers are putting together structures that work and that encompass different challenges that have been presented over [time], with valuations and bridging [being] used to encompass all of those challenges and bring a better outcome to clients.” And the data certainly jibes with the experts’ sentiments here − especially regarding ongoing changes to the market. Research from Together found that a quarter of investors were planning to increase their property portfolios this year − showing that investors in the UK are still utilising bridging finance. Moreover, Rightmove research estimated that 22% of landlords were planning on investing in property improvements in their existing portfolio, while another quarter of landlords are anticipating that they’ll be doing some work to improve EPC ratings and energy efficiency. For Aston, this research only serves to reiterate the agility of both the product and the borrowers who are using it. “In Q4 of last year, 2024,” he said, “13% of the market was investment purchase business − and in Q1, with the stamp duty deadline looming, that rose to 24%. Borrowers are wising up to the fact that this was a product that could be used quickly and deployed quickly to hit deadlines and to not miss opportunities. So, again, that’s not distress − that’s a choice. And it’s a choice to utilise the funding for success.”

Aston agreed, highlighting the market’s flexibility and adding that most borrowers don’t just tick a number of boxes on a rate card. “Across these products,” he said, “we live and operate in the grey… There’s no better product to demonstrate that than bridging finance. It’s the most flexible, it’s the most agile.” With so many loan options available, Cox is quick to point out that bridging is currently being used frequently as a stabilizer for owner operators, for investors and for anyone in between. “Bridging is used for not only speed, but flexibility in structures,” she told Insurance Business. “It may be the bridging structure that you’ve proposed and put

Overall, across all regions of the UK, there’s a general increase in demand for bridging. However, the scope of that demand hinges on where exactly each broker markets their expertise or field of experience. In Cox’s case, that means working with commercial agents, architects, accountants and professionals embedded in the build process. “They know the areas that I work in and often introduce the likes of investors and SME developers as opposed to regulated bridges,” she told IB. “As a whole, the increase for bridging is a mixed bag of regulated and unregulated.” And, in Aston’s experience, they’re actually seeing more referrals from brokers themselves. “That’s our business model,” he explained. “We’re a master broker packager by trade − 80% of what we do has always been broker-introduced. That said, our distribution has grown rapidly − we’re on track this year for 20% growth on our new enquiries, and that’s caught us off guard with [just] how busy that is.”

“I think that shows in a harder market,” he continued, “where mainstream residential mortgage brokers are looking to support their client base in a more thorough way, that [might] involve branching out into other products or areas of expertise that go beyond them or their permissions. By liaising with businesses like ours, we get to support and see more of that business.”

One of the most notable changes in recent years has been the shift in borrower profiles. As Cox explained, there have been lots of opportunities for borrowers since the change in demand from factors like COVID − particularly in the hospitality sector. “Businesses like old, closed pubs that become [empty] have been sold [with] vacant possession, with the opportunity to turn what was a ‘wet lead boozer’ into a cycling café-type bistro. Consumer demand has really changed in the last five to six years … the healthy lifestyle has become a massive thing − and I’m seeing quite a number of new business ventures [as well].”

In scenarios like this one, Together’s suite of features really shines. Because while many associate bridging with large, complex transactions, Together offers flexibility across the board.

“We lend from £26,000, which is actually one of the lowest minimum loan sizes out there in the market,” added Precious Ward. “A good customer outcome can be for somebody wanting to borrow £26,000 as well as somebody who wants to borrow £5 million.” And Narwal backed this with recent data. “Between April and June, we’ve actually seen an increase in our average loan of 14% in the unregulated market and 16% in the regulated market. That highlights our appetite is expanding in that larger loan space while we’ll always have our core bread and butter supporting all clients [too].” The discussion turned towards how bridging supports refurbishment projects – an increasingly popular choice in the market. “This is a very typical case for Together. [Whether it’s] the auction purchase, a renovation project in order to get some financial growth before they exit, or equally, a residential property they might want to do some works to, to make it more saleable,” revealed Precious Ward. Cox similarly spotlighted a trend in hotel conversions in her line of work. “I’m seeing a real window of opportunity in converting tired C1 or underperforming hotels into high-yielding serviced accommodation, particularly in the regional hotspots. Here, there needs to be demand for flexible short-term living.”

Looking ahead, the panellists are overwhelmingly confident in the sector’s positioning and growth opportunities, with Narwal predicting the bridging market to grow by 25% by the end of 2029, to a total of £14 billion − with 36% of that to be regulated residential transactions.

And Cox agreed, noting the growing competitiveness in the sector. “The bridging market is incredibly competitive − speed is massively considered preferable over price. [It’s about] being able to tackle problems with solutions and readjust structures to make sure client outcomes are focused on.” For now, the outlook is competitive yet bright, as Precious Ward concluded: “It’s a buoyant market − a growing market. At Together, we’ve been doing this for just over 50 years as a solution-based lender and specialist lender − it’s all we’ve ever done. [For us it’s about] being able to support that market with our experienced background … and substantiate it with the great relationships that we have with Aria, with Sirius and with our packaging partners. [Because] it’s certainly a market to be involved in.” To find out more about Together’s bridging offering, visit their webpage here .

Bridging: A data breakdown

Bridging completions grew to £1.79 billion in Q3 of 2024

We’re Together. For over 50 years, we’ve helped thousands of people, businesses and professionals unlock their property ambitions with our common-sense approach to lending. That means we take the time to understand our customers and find a property finance solution that works for them. Our large product suite gives us the flexibility to help in a wide range of specialist lending scenarios; including residential mortgages, short-term finance, buy-to-let, auction finance, development funding, and commercial and semi-commercial mortgages and loans. Based in Cheadle, Cheshire, our 800 colleagues use their expertise and industry knowledge to help customers, backed by the power of a £7.8 billion loan book.

Find out more

Dan Narwal, regional account manager, supports Together’s key broker partners in London and Essex. With over 10 years’ experience in the industry, covering both sales and underwriting in the regulated and unregulated space, Narwal has built strong relationships, utilising his expertise to structure deals that help clients realise their ambitions.

Together

Dan Narwal

Sally Precious Ward joined Together in March 2020 as regional account manager working across the south of England. During her 25-year career in financial services, Precious Ward has gained experience across a wide range of roles, including IFA, mortgage broker, debt restructure for clients in default, and business development.

Together

Sally Precious Ward

In Partnership with

Fighting for the customer

The customer owned a bank saw a huge boost after the Hayne Royal Commission. One year on and their market share is growing as customer continue to see their value.

Read on

Darren McLeod

Beyond Bank

Fernando Lemos

Bank Australia

Industry experts

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Bank Australia

Fernando Lemos

Beyond Bank

Darren McLeod

In Partnership with

Fighting for the customer

The customer owned a bank saw a huge boost after the Hayne Royal Commission. One year on and their market share is growing as customer continue to see their value.

Read on

Darren McLeod

Beyond Bank

Fernando Lemos

Bank Australia

Industry experts

Beyond Bank

Darren McLeod

Bank Australia

Fernando Lemos

‘It’s the most flexible, it’s the most agile’

Published August 25, 2025

That’s a 2.6% increase on Q2 of 2024

Application also increased by 6.7% in Q3 of 2024, reaching £10.9 billion

Source: BDLA

Source: Together

Flexibility: We know that you’re more than a credit score. If the sums show you can afford the loan, we’ll do our best to make it happen.

Why choose Together for a bridging loan?

Service: Our dedicated team of finance experts are on hand to guide you through every step of the process.

Simplicity: We know that when it comes to bridging finance, speed is often key. That’s why we’ll make the process as simple as possible, providing you with the funds you need quickly.

The changing face of borrowers

Aston linked this transformation directly to the entrepreneurial spirit of UK landlords. As he explained, professional landlords are some of the most resilient and entrepreneurial people in the UK. “Where single-let AST residential buy-to-let doesn’t maybe perform as well as it used to … we’ve seen more and more hardened buy-to-let landlords actually branch out into refurbishment − a bit of development, buying at auction for the first time or below-market-value assets.” These ventures, however, require speed and flexibility, making bridging a strategic tool rather than a fallback option. “It’s a choice now,” Aston emphasised. “It’s not a necessary evil. It’s not a rescue product. It’s a choice … to make more money from property and ultimately succeed.” Precious Ward echoed his sentiment with a compelling example: “We did a transaction recently where a client was looking to utilise some of the equity across their property portfolio. They were able to borrow a bridge as a second charge across three properties. That gave them the funds − just short of half a million pounds − to inject into this new business venture.”

Loan sizes, market appetite

Refurbishment serves as an entry point for many landlords. As Aston revealed, refurb is one of the big opportunities for landlords to add value, “but the volume refurb project in the market is just a light refurbishment – a lick of paint and new carpets can really do wonders for a property.” Together’s support in this arena is evident. As Narwal pointed out, “Our speed in this space is absolutely key. We’ve got our AVM home track criteria without the need for a physical valuation. We’re seeing clients purchasing assets to completely refurb and flip them. And that’s where we’re really strong − getting the clients the funds quickly.”

A glimpse into the future of bridging

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