Brickflow data shows strongest lender appetite in North West

Brickflow has published its Q3 2026 MarketWatch report, which found lenders were most likely to support property finance deals in the North West and East of England.

Data from the specialist property finance marketplace showed 72% of deals in the North West received at least one Decision in Principle, compared with 67% in the East of England, 60% in London and 50% in Scotland.

The findings were based on 4,016 searches recorded on Brickflow during the quarter, covering £10.4 billion of property across bridging, commercial mortgages and development finance. Bridging accounted for 2,506 searches covering £3.6 billion. Commercial mortgages made up 761 searches worth £1.3 billion, while development finance totalled 749 searches covering £5.5 billion.

The regional split points to a divergence in lender appetite across the UK property market. Local market conditions appear to be part of the picture, with stronger lender backing in areas where house price performance has been firmer than in London.

HM Land Registry data cited in the report showed house prices in the North West rose 4.4% in the year to July, while London prices fell 3.3%. In Scotland, where Lloyds data showed prices rose 3.6%, the lower share of deals receiving a Decision in Principle suggests lender appetite has not matched price growth.

Sector shift

The report also identified changing demand across property sectors. The value of residential property searches fell 35% during the quarter, while leisure and hospitality searches rose 39% to £820 million and healthcare searches increased 31% to £321 million.

Average deal sizes also increased in both expanding sectors. The average leisure and hospitality search was about £4.6 million, while healthcare searches averaged about £6.3 million.

Brickflow linked those movements to a wider investment pattern in the market. Savills data referenced in the report showed UK hotel investment reached £2.1 billion in the first half of 2026, almost £500 million more than a year earlier. Healthcare deal volumes were expected to strengthen in the second half after a record 2025.

The fall in residential searches echoed weaker conditions in housebuilding. S&P Global data cited in the report showed housebuilding was the weakest part of UK construction in August, with the sector shrinking for a 20th consecutive month.

One residential segment, however, resisted that broader decline. Multi-let residential searches were broadly unchanged from the previous quarter, but the value of property searched in that category rose 20% to £373 million, making it the only residential segment to record growth.

Platform data

The report is based on live platform activity and more than 200,000 continually updated lender data points. Because searches take place at the start of a deal, the figures offer an early indication of borrower demand before transactions complete.

The marketplace also expanded its lender panel during the quarter. Specialist lenders Somo and Breeze Capital were added, giving brokers two more lenders to compare within a single search.

That matters in a market where broker visibility can vary significantly depending on sourcing methods. Broader search data, Brickflow argued, can reveal differences in lender appetite by region and asset class earlier than completed lending figures.

"Our Q3 activity tracks a wider market that has been subdued, including in residential, where housebuilding has had a difficult year. Alongside that, there are real positives in the data: the value of property searched is up in leisure and hospitality, healthcare and multi-let residential, and lender appetite is strongest in the North West and East of England. Challenging conditions are when the quality of information matters most. Manual loan sourcing can only show part of the market. A market-wide search opens up the true lending picture, and gives brokers and their clients the best possible chance of securing the right finance," Sabinder Robinson-Sandhu, Head of Growth at Brickflow, said.