The largest increase has been in placing traditional mortgages for trading businesses and commercial investments. However, there have also been more enquiries for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), limited company buy-to-lets, residential developments and semi-commercial enquiries.

David Whittaker, managing director of Mortgages for Business, said the explosion in commercial business was the result of the recent run of house prices increases.

He explained: “Price rises are encouraging small developers to review projects that were not viable at the beginning of the summer. Suddenly, developers need to finance the purchase of sites to build properties on so they can have stock ready for sale in the summer of 2010.”

He added: “We are experiencing this upswing because high street banks are unwilling to support new projects. They are still trying to bolster their balance sheets, and demonstrate greater liquidity and return on funds. So borrowers are turning to specialists like us.”

Whittaker also said relationships with the main commercial lenders – including Aldermore – have helped.

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He added: “This is funding that is not accessible to a large number of brokers. As a result, we have been placing a number of complicated deals that our peers haven’t been able to handle.”