"Just last month, buy-to-let searches were among the highest we've ever recorded. Fast forward to April, and we’re seeing the lowest share of the market for BTL activity since we began tracking – particularly in the £150k–£250k range, where searches fell by more than 24%."
- Nathan Reilly - Twenty7tec
Mortgage tech provider Twenty7tec has released its market activity data for April 2025, revealing notable shifts in buyer behaviour and product preferences.
Buy-to-let mortgage searches dropped to just 14.74% of all searches, marking the lowest market share since the company began reporting in January 2020. The decline was most pronounced in the £150k–£250k price range, where BTL searches fell by over 24%.
At the same time, self-employed mortgage searches surged, reaching record levels on 28 and 29 April.
There was also increased interest in shorter-term mortgage products. In April, 44.13% of fixed-rate mortgage searches focused on two-year or shorter terms, up from 40.95% in March.
Adviser activity spiked toward the end of the month. Four of the top seven busiest days ever were recorded for ESIS documents in the 90%+ loan-to-value market. April also saw a rise in residential purchase searches, including two days that ranked among the 20 busiest on record.
Product availability remained strong, peaking at 25,266 products early in the month, with a small increase in the total number of available products by the end of April.
“April’s mortgage market painted a picture of contrasts," comments Twenty7tec director Nathan Reilly. "Just last month, buy-to-let searches were among the highest we've ever recorded. Fast forward to April, and we’re seeing the lowest share of the market for BTL activity since we began tracking – particularly in the £150k–£250k range, where searches fell by more than 24%."
"At the same time, first-time buyer interest remained strong, making up nearly a quarter of all search activity – a trend we’ve now seen for five consecutive months."
He added, “More widely, we saw signs of borrowers seeking greater flexibility – with growing demand for shorter-term products and average applicant salaries reaching new highs. We also saw a sharp rise in searches from self-employed applicants, perhaps another reflection of a market adapting to uncertainty.
“April’s figures show that the market is still very much in motion, with advisers and customers responding in real-time to shifts in product availability, affordability, and wider sentiment. And as for the BTL market – is this just a blip, or are we seeing the start of a longer-term shift? Either way, we encourage advisers and lenders to keep a close eye on how things unfold in the months ahead.”
