82% of bridging professionals positive about the market in 2026
Four in every five intermediaries say they think their confidence in the market will grow over the next 12 months, according to new data from Black & White Bridging.
One hundred intermediaries actively involved in the bridging industry were polled by Black & White with 82 % of respondents agreeing that their confidence is set to grow over the year, including 20 % who agree strongly. While 14 % weren’t sure, only 4 % thought their confidence in the market might drop.
The bridging lender says that while the effect of the 2024 Budget and speculation around the 2025 Budget has dampened investor confidence and led to hesitation, intermediaries are going into 2026 with new-found clarity on economic policy, prompting a new sense of optimism in the market.
Damien Druce, chief operating officer at Black & White Bridging, said: “Despite brokers’ concerns around the chaotic Autumn Budget and the turbulence of the last few months, it’s reassuring to see that confidence in the mortgage and bridging market is looking so high. Following two challenging Autumn Budgets in a row, market conditions can only improve. Unless Ms. Reeves has fluffed her numbers, we should expect a less punishing Budget in 2026.”
When asked what area of the market represented the biggest opportunity for the bridging sector over the next 12 months, 57 % of respondents suggested re-bridging deals. Development-exit refinance and residential purchases came joint second with 11 % of the vote each.
Re-bridging deals are seen as the biggest driver of growth in all regions except London, where the results were more mixed. Residential purchases came out on top in the capital with 36 % of the vote, while re-bridging received 29 % and commercial property acquisitions received 14 %.
Damien Druce added: “If brokers are right and 2026 does turn out to be economically more positive, bridging products are set to provide fast and flexible financing for investors looking to make quick, strategic deals. Brokers need to be able to advise clients of options beyond standard financing solutions. Flexibility and affordability will be key. Having said that, re-bridging can be risky and I wouldn’t want to endorse it as a growth opportunity.”
Black & White’s research also found sentiment had improved dramatically since 2024. Nine in every ten intermediaries polled (90 %) said their confidence in the market had increased over the last 12 months, while only one in fifty (2 %) reported their confidence had fallen.
Brokers outside the capital, operating in the North, Midlands, and the South of England, were more positive than brokers operating in London, however. While 95 % of brokers outside the capital said their confidence in the market had grown over the last year, only 64 % of those operating in London said the same.
Damien concluded: “Months of budget speculation around a mansion tax have dampened the London market more significantly than other areas of the UK. Wealthy people are selling up and leaving the country in their droves, leading to an oversupply at the top of London’s market and less demand for higher-value properties. As a result, developers and property investors have been less willing to take risks in the capital. But investor sentiment looks set to change in 2026 as the market returns to some sort of normality after the carnage of the Budget.”
The news follows the release of polling from Black & White Bridging in the wake of the Budget. The lender found that five out of every six brokers described the run-up to the Budget as “chaotic”, with leaks and revisions to policy creating difficult conditions for brokers to navigate and confidently advise their clients.