April Gross Mortgage Lending less than March.

May 20, 2016

Press release published yesterday by The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) headlines “Gross mortgage lending grows 16% year-on-year”.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders  estimates that gross mortgage lending reached £18.5 billion in April. This is 29% lower than March’s lending total of £26.2 billion, but 16% higher than the £16 billion lent in April last year. This is the highest lending total for an April since 2008 (£25.3 billion).

CML economist Mohammad Jamei said: “As we move past the stamp duty change that came into effect at the start of April, we expect to see a quieter second quarter, as some transactions that were due to take place were brought forward to the first quarter of this year. This is likely to mean that over the next few months buy-to-let takes a back seat as lending is driven by first-time buyers, movers and remortgage customers.

“The underlying picture still shows signs of growth, as the market remains underpinned by strong fundamentals such as increasing wages and rising employment. But it is possible that the uncertainty around the upcoming EU referendum in June will weigh on activity in the upcoming months”.

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Brexit housing market winners and losers

England can’t keep pace with the other home nations And the south of England falls well behind the north   The latest research from Yopa has revealed a stark regional divide in house price growth since the Brexit referendum (June 23rd 2016), with Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and northern England recording some of the strongest…
Read More →
Breaking News

The Rental Market is Rebalancing

But 78% of Tenants Still Can’t Find What They’re Looking For Nine in ten landlords believe the balance of power in the rental market has shifted in favour of tenants over the last two years – yet a quarter of tenants still feel landlords hold the upper hand, according to new research from LRG. The…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

Dispelling the top five biggest letting agent myths

Sophie Danes, Group Director of Property Management, Lomond   This year has seen the introduction of the seismic Renters’ Rights Act (RRA) as well as other changes affecting the private rented sector (PRS) coming into force, such as the rollout of Making Tax Digital (MTD). As a result, more than ever before, there is a lot of information and speculation surrounding the sector making…
Read More →
Breaking News

A fifth of Gen Z would move 25 miles or more for affordable housing

Price is the top priority listed by Gen Z for finding a home (24 per cent), with location the aspect most compromised for affordability (21 per cent) Barclays Mortgage data shows the average deposit fell -16.4 per cent year-on-year in May, however it remains the top barrier to homeownership reported by renters Nine in 10…
Read More →
AI in estate agency letting agency property
Breaking News

Can AI-powered search platform push out Rightmove for renters?

Boss of global architecture firm takes on Rightmove with AI-powered search platform where renters describe where they want to live An AI-powered start-up launched by the former boss of a major architecture business wants to disrupt the duopoly of Rightmove and Zoopla by enabling renters to find homes by using normal everyday language – as…
Read More →
Breaking News

Midlands sees largest property management fees increase

The latest research from Rushbrook & Rathbone has found that property management fees in the Midlands have increased by an estimated 53.9% over the past decade, the fastest rate of growth across England’s regions, highlighting a widening divide in costs between the North, Midlands, and South. The research analysed average rental values across England’s regions…
Read More →