‘May felt like a month where confidence picked up noticeably’ – London Wallet

Mortgage market activity continued its steady rise in May, according to the latest figures from adviser tech provider Twenty7tec.

Total search volumes rose strongly month on month, and product availability reached a new record high of more than 25,000 live options on the platform.

In May 2025, compared to April 2025:

• Total searches up 12.3%

• Purchase mortgage searches (non-FTB) were up 5.2%

• Remortgage searches were up 7.6%

• Buy To Let purchase mortgage searches were up 4.3%

• Buy To Let remortgage searches were up 7.3%

• Residential purchase mortgage searches (non-FTB) were up 5.2%

• Residential remortgage searches were up 7.3%

• Searches by First Time Buyers were up 3.5%

In May 2025, compared to May 2024:

• Total searches up 6.0%

• Purchase mortgage searches (non-FTB) were down 1.5%

• Remortgage searches were up 23.1%

• Buy To Let purchase mortgage searches were down 11.7%

• Buy To Let remortgage searches were up 5.6%

• Residential purchase mortgage searches (non-FTB) were up 0.7%

• Residential remortgage searches were up 28.8%

• Searches by First Time Buyers were up 13.9%

Searches for fixed mortgage products in May 2025:

• Two-year and under fixed mortgages accounted for 47.6% of all fixed product searches (up from 34.3% in April and 45.6% vs May 2024*)

• Three- to five-year fixed mortgages accounted for 31.9% (down from 34.3% in April and 34.1% in May 2024)

• Five- to ten-year fixed mortgages accounted for 21.4% (down slightly from 21.6% in April but up from May 2024’s 20.3%)

13 May set a new milestone, with advisers generating 30,120 ESIS documents in a single day – nearly double the average daily volume seen so far this year.

First-time buyers were a key part of the momentum, with 352,958 FTB purchase searches in May. That’s up 13.9% compared to last year, and 3.5% ahead of April. FTBs made up 37.3% of all residential search activity in May, up from 33.9% in the same month last year. Nearly half (48.2%) of those searches were for 90%+ LTV products, with 78% over 80%.

Remortgage activity was another strong performer, up 23.1% year on year. In contrast, the buy-to-let market continues to cool. BTL purchase searches were down 11.7% year on year, representing just 14.8% of all searches – one of the lowest monthly shares on record, and part of a continuous steady decline from the 23.9% peak in 2018.

Nathan Reilly, commercial director at Twenty7tec, said: “May felt like a month where confidence picked up noticeably. Search volumes were up, remortgaging remained strong, and first-time buyer demand continued to grow. The product landscape is the most competitive it’s ever been, and that’s good news for advisers and their clients.

“It’s also interesting to see the return of shorter-term fixes as a dominant product choice. With so much speculation around interest rate direction, borrowers seem to be positioning themselves for flexibility.”