Bridging market activity has seen a significant uptick in 2025, following collapsed property transactions costing an estimated £275.5m during the first quarter.

This is according to analysis by West One Loans, which revealed that 78,855 failed transactions occurred across the UK property market in Q1, each costing an average of £3,493.

West One Loans analysed the latest data from TwentyCI and suggested that the total quarterly loss of £275.5m reflects the “scale of disruption and financial inconvenience that fall-throughs continue to cause”.

The latest figure also marked a quarterly rise of 11.6% in the number of fall-throughs compared to Q4 2024, and an even steeper annual increase of 23.5%.

At the same time, the average cost of a fall-through has climbed to £3,493, resulting in a 13.2% increase in total market losses quarter-on-quarter, and a 27.9% rise compared to Q1 2024.

West One Loans said it had seen a notable increase in homeowners turning to bridging finance as a safety net, to help mitigate the risk of fall-throughs.

Co-head of short-term finance at West One Loans, Thomas Cantor, commented: “While bridging finance has long been viewed as a specialist tool for more niche segments of the market such as property investors and auction buyers, we’re seeing a clear shift in how it’s being used.

“Whilst it has always played a part within residential transactions, we’re seeing a growing number of homebuyers and sellers now turning to bridging to salvage their purchase or sale when a chain breaks down.”

Cantor added: “In today’s competitive market, speed and certainty are paramount – and this is where bridging really comes into its own, which in turn has caused it to be increasingly seen as a mainstream solution to help prevent a deal from collapsing.”

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