Brickflow Q3 data reveals strongest lender appetite in the North West and East of England
02 November 2026
Brickflow, the UK’s leading digital marketplace for specialist property finance, has published the Q3 2026 edition of its MarketWatch report, which shows lenders are most likely to back deals in the North West and East of England. 72% of North West deals and 67% of East of England deals received at least one Decision in Principle (DIP), against 60% in London.
Local property markets appear to play a part. HM Land Registry figures show North West house prices up 4.4% in the year to July, second only to the North East among English regions, while London prices are down 3.3%. In Scotland, where Lloyds data shows prices up 3.6%, the share of deals receiving a DIP was the lowest at 50%, suggesting lender appetite has yet to catch up.
The report also points to a shift in demand by sector. In leisure and hospitality, the total value of property searched rose 39% to £820 million, and in healthcare it increased 31% to £321 million. In both sectors, the average search was larger than in Q2, at around £4.6 million in leisure and hospitality and £6.3 million in healthcare.
Wider investment data is consistent with this. Savills reports UK hotel investment of £2.1 billion in the first half of 2026, almost £500 million more than a year earlier. In healthcare, deal volumes are expected to strengthen in the second half of 2026 after a record 2025.
The MarketWatch findings are based on 4,016 searches recorded on Brickflow in Q3, covering £10.4 billion of property. Bridging made up 2,506 of those searches (£3.6 billion), commercial mortgages 761 (£1.3 billion) and development finance 749 (£5.5 billion).
The value of residential property searched fell 35%, mirroring the wider housebuilding picture. S&P Global reports that housebuilding was the weakest part of UK construction in August, with the sector as a whole shrinking for a twentieth month in a row. Because searches come at the start of a deal, they give an early read on where borrowers are heading.
Multi-let residential, which covers properties let to several tenants, held firm. The number of searches was broadly unchanged on Q2, while the value of property searched rose 20% to £373 million, making it the only residential category to grow.
Q3 2026 at a glance:
- Regional appetite: 72% of North West deals and 67% of East of England deals received at least one DIP, against 60% in London
- Leisure and hospitality, and healthcare: value of property searched up 39% to £820 million and 31% to £321 million
- Multi-let residential: value of property searched up 20% to £373 million, with searches broadly unchanged
Specialist lenders Somo and Breeze Capital also joined Brickflow’s lender panel during the quarter, giving brokers two more lenders to compare in a single search.
Sabinder Robinson-Sandhu, Head of Growth at Brickflow, commented:
“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.”
MarketWatch is built on live platform activity and more than 200,000 lender data points that are continually updated, giving brokers and borrowers a real-time read on the market. Download the full Q3 2026 report at this link.
