The Intermediary – July 2026 - Flipbook - Page 33
I N T E RV I E W
among borrowers themselves and the market
they find themselves in.
Through all of this, April Mortgages sees
its role as going beyond providing innovative
products.
“We really believe in that long-term peace
of mind for clients, and it’s important that we
articulate that through industry events,” Brown
explains. “It’s important to not only have a
voice among, say, the bigger players, but also
to then build that belief inwards in terms of our
own colleagues.
“Let’s continue to push innovation, let’s push
each other, and let’s continue to look at ways
to support ever-changing client relationships.
“Beyond just product innovation, that’s why
it’s incredibly important that we are plugged
in to the community, to the market, and also
that we learn ourselves from attending events
and speaking to brokers, to other lenders, to
customers.
“At the end of the day, our customers are
the brokers, and their customers are the
customers, and we need to learn from both.”
Having lenders firing on all cylinders is
only part of the picture, however. Product
innovation alone will not fix structural issues in
the housing market.
Pagan says: “We can’t shy away from the
supply barriers in the UK. The cost for builders
to build those homes has skyrocketed as well.
So, there are some really big fundamentals on
that side, and it’ll be interesting to see, if the
Government changes, what actually happens
to support the supply side.
“From a demand perspective, we are getting
more first-time buyers, but the market can
still do more, particularly for those that aren’t
lucky enough to benefit from the ‘Bank of Mum
and Dad’.”
Creating a healthy flow of first-time buyers
does not exist in isolation, of course. For people
to have first homes to move into, secondsteppers, movers and even later life downsizers
all need to feel the effects.
“There has been good success for first-time
buyers, but there are there are many other
parts of the market where further innovation
and support is needed,” Pagan explains.
To this end, April does not focus its support
solely on the first rung of the ladder, and its
flexible products also aim to help secondsteppers find certainty in their move, buy their
dream home, or start back out after a setback
in their ownership journey.
“While first-time buyers is a particular
strength of April’s, we support second steppers
really actively,” Pagan continues. “Then, in
terms of those older borrowers, it’s another
proposition we’re working quite hard on.
“We’ve got a very competitive proposition
already on the repayment mortgage and we’re
thinking about how we can support other
segments, too.”
Amid the trends facing first-time buyers is
the looming problem of supply.
Pagan says: “How far products need to go
will depend on whether the supply side gets
sorted out.
“There is a scenario where house prices
stay relatively stable, the house building
targets really start flowing through, and there
could be a very rich future for even more
first-time buyers.
“Unfortunately, there is also a scary
scenario where the market stagnates and the
uncertainty that many younger people face
now really just keeps holding them back.”
While the future is uncertain, the mood at
April Mortgages is optimistic, and it is clear
that positive change cannot happen without
the right lenders doing what they can to
affect it.
Brown says: “It’s for us to continue
to amplify and communicate to
first-time buyers. Education is key.
There’s a lot of misinformation that’s out there
in the market, whether from influencers or
other forms of technology presenting things
as fact.
“We as lenders need to ensure we educate,
as well as the networks and the clubs,
to support brokers in how they manage
client expectations.
“The more we support the broker and the
client, the more the client will understand the
value of advice.”
Beyond this, Brown and Pagan call for
Government and the industry to address
the barriers created by bureaucracy, for
the digitisation and simplification of the
house buying process, and a decrease in
contractual uncertainty.
For April Mortgages, in the meantime,
the focus is on building out its 100% LTV
proposition, further product innovation, and
continuing to lean into certainty, flexibility and
responsible lending.
The future challenge for lenders is not
simply helping people buy their first home. It is
designing products, partnerships and support
that reflect the increasingly unpredictable lives
first-time buyers now lead, giving advisers
more tools to guide customers not only onto
the property ladder, but also to help them
remain there.
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