More loans taken out in first 2 months of 2017 than any year since 2007 says CML

April 12, 2017

News release yesterday 11th April 2017 from the  Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Monthly Lendng Trends for February 2017 headlined ‘Home buying activity up 7% in February’.

The CML data revealed house purchase activity increased month-on-month and year-on-year, driven by first-time buyer activity. Remortgage activity continued year-on-year growth while buy-to-let declined.

Home buyers borrowed £8.9bn, up 6% on January and 2% on February 2016.

Paul Smee, Director General of the CML, commented: “Seasonal factors traditionally keep the market quieter in winter months, but 2017 began relatively strong on the house purchase side. Borrowers took out more loans to purchase a home in the first two months of 2017 than any year since 2007. This is down to strong first-time buyer activity which has consistently matched home mover borrowing over the past six months, a trend not seen in the UK for 20 years. House purchase activity on the buy-to-let lending side remains weak.

“This trend is expected to continue because of the tax changes from April and because lenders are tightening affordability criteria in response to PRA-mandated stress tests”.

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

Budget Commentary – Mansion Tax, Business Rates & Planning Reform

Andrew Teacher, Co-founder at LauderTeacher, one of the UK’s leading advisors on real estate communications, investor relations and a former spokesman for the BPF, comments on the potential Budget. Mansion tax “Nobody likes paying tax, but the reality is a council tax revaluation is long overdue. Rather than distorting the market, which is what a…
Read More →
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Budget 2025 market data & home-mover and agent insight

Speculation about property tax changes is fuelling uncertainty across much of the market Rightmove research found that home-movers would favour staggered stamp duty payments, while a poll of estate agents also suggested that staggered payments would be a preferable change to shifting payment to the seller Rightmove data on rumoured property tax changes Mansion Tax…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 24/11/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Symple resolves four core issues in the new Renter’s Rights Act Automating compliance in the new PRS landscape   The Renters’ Rights Act has raised the bar for private landlords in England in terms of property condition, hazard resolution, evidence of compliance and regulatory registration. Symple…
Read More →
Breaking News

What does Rachel Reeves have in store for the UK property market?

With the Autumn Budget now just days away, speculation is mounting that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will use property taxation as a central tool to address the widely reported fiscal shortfall of between £20bn and £40bn. As a result, the housing market has entered a period of caution, with asking prices falling 1.8 percent in…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

Why Property Guarantors Need Legal Advice Before Signing

When it comes to property deals, it’s natural to look for additional support, especially when you’re not fully confident about meeting the terms of the agreement. This is where a guarantor comes into play, as they step in to give the property owner some assurance. The idea of helping someone you trust can feel quite…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 21/11/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   VE+ the new procurement engine cutting developers costs without compromise Finishes packages are specification sensitive and expensive components of any build – VE+ fixes this  As construction costs continue to climb and procurement timelines tighten, developers and contractors are being pushed harder than ever…
Read More →