The Inside Edge
January cheaper property sales hit by end of stamp duty holiday
House purchase loans fell by more than three times the decline in remortgages in January, according to data released today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. This emphatically demonstrates the effect on the mortgage market from the end of the temporary stamp duty holiday in December.
There were 49% fewer house purchase loans in January than in December but only 15% fewer remortgage loans. However, the 32,000 loans for house purchase, worth £4.7 billion, were up from the low of 23,000 (worth £3.1 billion) seen in January 2009. Conversely, the 24,000 loans for remortgage, worth £3 billion, were down from 45,000 (£6.2 billion) a year ago. This is the lowest monthly level of remortgage activity – both by number and value – in eight years of available data.
Source: Council of Mortgage Lenders
