UK house prices set for double-digit fall as mortgage rates rise again

A number of lenders yesterday announced another increase in mortgage rates offered via brokers, pushing many products above the 6% mark providing yet more bad news for many homeowners and potential homebuyers.

The Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group – the UK’s biggest lender, and the Nationwide Building Society have increased rates on new deals. They are among a range of providers to have moved in recent days.

HSBC and TSB raised their rates on Wednesday, less than a week after the Bank of England put up the base rate.

Nationwide increased fixed rates, available through brokers, by up to 0.35% on Thursday, a day after HSBC raised its rates by up to 0.55%, and TSB by up to 0.35%.

The Bank of England surprised markets by raising its benchmark interest rate from 4.5% to 5% last week, in a fresh attempt to tackle the high rate of inflation.

A number of lenders have also raised buy-to-let mortgage rates, which could feed through to tenants in higher rents.

“As mortgage rates continue to rise, the property market is being pushed further towards a cliff edge and there’s no real help in sight,” mortgage broker Lewis Shaw of Shaw Financial Services said.

Oxford Economics, a consultancy, said it now expected a peak-to-trough drop in house prices of around 13%.

“The high share of fixed-rate deals and a limited rise in unemployment mean we still expect the downturn to be more of a slow puncture, with prices falling steadily over a couple of years, rather than a sudden, sharp drop,” said Andrew Goodwin, Oxford Economics’ chief UK economist.

This article is taken from Property Industry Eye.