Beth Fisher

Editor's Letter: The state of the bridging market, in numbers




Since the last issue of Bridging & Commercial, a lot has happened.

Boris Johnson broadcast his roadmap out of lockdown and, ever since, diaries have been filling up with Zoom-less meetings for later this year. I am looking forward to catching up with the industry over lunch or a couple of drinks at my favourite venues (our limelight section has also missed you), and finally being allowed to go back to the cinema!

The B&C Awards 2021 was announced (for the last time, fingers crossed) to take place on 6th October—signalling that we (and 650 others) will be obscenely hungover on the 7th. Rishi Sunak also revealed the long-awaited Budget, confirming a series of measures to boost the economy and property market, including the extension to the stamp duty holiday, the launch of the mortgage guarantee and Recovery Loan Scheme, and the introduction of Restart Grants.

Like the weather, things are looking up.

In terms of what hasn’t changed, the conversation around bridging completion timescales goes on. We recently discussed the industry’s obsession with this and why we have been looking at it in the wrong way. Furthermore, the hardening professional indemnity insurance market for surveyors has seen no improvement—in fact, it’s got worse. We investigate how we got here and the ramifications this is likely to have on the bridging market.

As always, we have a series of exciting interviews for you, including Roma’s female collective giving us the low-down on its rebrand; our conversation with Reim Capital and Fairbridge Capital’s heads, Kunal Vaitha and Dalian Gill; and MSP’s MD, Martin Higgins, takes us on a 40-year journey.

Later in the issue, we explain the ins and outs of equity finance, particularly in the current economic climate, and why SME developers may be staying on the sidelines until the haziness clears.

Finally, this issue’s cover story is a standout—literally. We collaborated with EY to exclusively reveal the fourth annual UK Bridging Market Survey, which illustrates how the space has evolved since the onset of the pandemic. We hope the results will help you better understand what the landscape looks like and assist you with your business decisions this year and into the future. With the 21st June just around the corner, it’s finally time for us to start getting back on with our lives.   

You can read the latest issue of the B&C Magazine — The Evolution Issue — here.

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