Why Mortgage Rules Could Make Buying Even Easier
With strong demand for housing and rents continuing to rise, there are discussions around adjusting mortgage regulations to make it even easier for renters to transition into homeownership. By loosening lending rules slightly while maintaining responsible borrowing, more middle-income renters could take advantage of the affordability benefits of buying.
Schemes like the ‘First-time Buyer Boost’ increase the maximum loan-to-income ratio from 4.49 to 5.5, meaning first-time buyers can now borrow an extra 1x their salary.
For example, a household earning £50,000 with a 10% deposit can now borrow up to £275,000 (an increase of 22%). To qualify, buyers must have a combined income of at least £50,000, a loan-to-value ratio of 90% or less, and not be using shared ownership or shared equity.