Exact date for major mortgage rule shake-up revealed – how it affects you | The Sun
An affordability test for mortgage lending will be ditched from August, the Bank of England has confirmed.
The Bank confirmed earlier today the withdrawal will happen from August 1.
Mortgage lenders currently have to follow rules on affordability set by the Bank of England.
But these will be ditched for the new rules after it consulted on the potential impacts withdrawing the affordability recommendation could have on mortgage lending.
It comes after data from Rightmove revealed the average asking price for a home across Britain is £368,614 – with June marking the fifth month in a row it has hit a record high.
Two mortgage recommendations were introduced in 2014, one of which was the affordability test.
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The test specifies a stress interest rate for lenders when assessing prospective borrowers’ ability to repay a mortgage.
The other recommendation, the loan to income (LTI) "flow limit" restricts the number of mortgages that can be extended to borrowers at LTI ratios at or greater than 4.5.
This recommendation will not be withdrawn.
Gemma Harle, managing director at Quilter Financial Planning, said while the shift in rules was an attempt to help first-time buyers get their foot on the ladder, it may have the opposite effect.
"One of the main drivers behind "generation rent" is the fact that house prices have massively outstripped wage growth," she said.
"Due to high house prices, first-time buyers also need very sizable deposits and in the current fiscal environment saving this type of money will be very difficult due to increasing rents and the cost of living.
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"On top of this, inflation will be eating away at any other savings they have sitting in cash."
She added: "This change in the affordability rules could perpetuate unsustainable further growth as it steps up demand in a market already suffering with limited stock."
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