Buyers hopelessly ill-informed on mortgage process, survey suggests

Many Britains are apparently under-estimating the impact of furlough on their ability to get a mortgage and buy a property.

A new survey claims that 64 per cent of Britons believe that lenders do not consider whether an applicant has received support from the furlough scheme in mortgage applications. 

The same study, of 2,000 UK adults, found that 42 per cent believe that being self-employed is not usually a factor considered by lenders in mortgage applications. 

Compared to all age groups in the study, young people aged 18 to 34 are the most likely to under-estimate the impact of furlough on their ability to borrow.

Richard Eagling, senior mortgages expert at comparison website NerdWallet - which commissioned the research - says: “A lender will always determine the risk level that a mortgage applicant presents and whether they can afford the repayments,  and it seems that many lenders are excluding furloughed income when assessing affordability. 

“Likewise, some high street banks are declining mortgage applications from those who took the government’s self-employment income support scheme grant, or are asking them for larger deposits. This is another sting in the tail for those that have been financially affected by Covid and presents a challenge to their dreams of homeownership.”

The research also highlights that only 22 per cent of adults aged 18 to 54, and just 15 per cent of those aged 18 to 25, knew that the government-backed mortgage guarantee scheme could apply to them.

Some 78 per cent of working age adults also said that they do not have a good grasp of the support available to help them buy property, while 76 per cent of 18-to-54s feel they lack good knowledge about how to secure a decent mortgage.