The latest West One Bridging Index has found that gross annual bridging lending surpassed the £3.5bn barrier in 2015.

This annual lending figure equates to £13.9m worth of transactions each working day in 2015.

West One Loans said the bridging sector is now expanding significantly faster than the mainstream mortgage market, which only grew 8% in the whole of last year according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). However, the bridging sector is still only worth approximately 1.5% of the traditional mortgage sector which was valued at £220bn in 2015, meaning there is plenty of scope for further expansion.

The growth in short-term finance is part of a five-year trend, which began with economic recovery, post-recession. The current housing crisis has led to demand for properties easily outstripping supply, with house prices rising 6.7% in 2015, according to the ONS. 

The bridging lender said the significant component of the housing crisis has been the shortage of land available for development especially in London and the South East due to current greenfield restrictions. This has driven redevelopment and conversions of any available properties in the capital with permitted development rights. These projects often require short-term financing during conversion.

However high-street mortgage lenders have been reluctant to increase their short-term and commercial lending after the recession. While commercial property prices have increased 21% since their trough in 2013, bank lending to property firms is still only around £135bn – just over half its value in 2009 according to MSCI. The bridging sector has been able to grow due to flexible underwriting that considers cases on an individual basis and a greater appetite for lending on commercial projects than that exhibited by the high street banks.

There has also been a significant growth in the number of properties sold at auction in 2015, supporting the upswing in bridging. In the last two years alone, the total value of properties sold at auction has risen by approximately £800m.

West One believes that the incoming regulation from the EU’s Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD) should help lift future growth. The new rules mean that some bridging loans will now be regulated by the FCA, namely those which are secured on an individual’s home or are not predominantly for business purposes. These will fall under the new MCD led rules, as will certain buy to let related finance particularly the new category of consumer buy-to-let loans. As more bridging products become regulated, the sector’s reputation will be enhanced, with more demand from FCA-regulated brokers. The new rules should encourage lenders to remain responsible, while also raising the sector’s profile. Borrowers applying for regulated bridging loans will also feel more secure due to the increased protection provided by the new legislation.

Duncan Kreeger (pictured), director of West One Loans, said: “2015 was a brilliant year for the bridging sector, with an explosion in demand for short-term finance. The sector ended the year on a high, breaking through the £3.5bn barrier, a welcome reward for all the hard work in our industry. This pace of growth looks set to continue into 2016, as we expect to pass the £4bn milestone in the not-too-distant future. Despite its growth, bridging remains a relatively alternative product, so there is still plenty of room for expansion, especially as new regulation drives future growth.  

“Bridging is known for its speed, so it follows that short-term finance is easily outpacing the mainstream mortgage market. Bridging lenders are flourishing with an enhanced reputation for providing an excellent service. Borrowers are turning to short-term finance because it offers much faster time to completion than high-street lenders. As bridging loans have no minimum term and no exit fees, the flexibility is particularly appealing to some borrows. Commercial developers have turned to bridging, as bridging’s emphasis on security means that the sector will provide loans when traditional banks are reluctant.

“As the demand for fast finance looks set to rocket, an increasing number of borrowers will turn to bridging in 2016. Brokers who have previously never considered short-term finance for their clients are finding it increasingly harder to ignore.”