UK property market stagnant
The UK property market is still stalled, according to figures from the British Bankers’ Association.
The BBA said mortgages approved by its members in January for home buyers were 29 per cent lower than a year ago.
They approved just 28,932 loans for house purchase, although this was slightly higher than in December.
Meanwhile property sales in the UK fell in January to their lowest level for a year, figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) show.
Just 54,000 homes were sold across the UK last month, the smallest number since January 2010.
Sales always fall sharply from December to January, traditionally the quietest time of the year for the property market.
However, the figures chime with the continued low level of mortgage lending.
“We are seeing little change in the borrowing environment for households or businesses at the start of 2011,” said the BBA’s statistics director, David Dooks.