Mortgage lenders forecast rising supply and demand

Lenders are predicting a busy quarter for supply and demand of mortgages.

The Bank of England’s latest Credit Conditions Survey showed lenders reported that availability of secured credit to households increased in the three months to the end of February and is expected to rise in the run up to the end of May.

Additionally, lenders reported that demand for secured lending for house purchase and remortgaging increased in the first quarter and is expected to rise during the second.

Respondents to the Bank of England survey suggested pricing would be pretty flat, but they did also highlight that defaults are on the rise.

Simon Gammon, managing partner at Knight Frank Finance, said: "Demand for mortgages to buy homes has been rising since the new year and momentum will continue to build into the summer. 

“Fairly hot inflation figures at the beginning of the year and the subsequent uptick in mortgage rates knocked sentiment, but the property market recovery is still on track. Many people put off moving while the economic outlook was so uncertain but there's a real sense now that buyers want to move on.

"Mortgage rates are now holding steady and whether they fall further will hinge on inflation continuing to ease and the degree to which the Bank of England feels confident to begin cutting the base rate in June."

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/credit-conditions-survey/2024/2024-q1