Growth in house prices four times faster than in loan sizes

The average house price has grown almost four times faster than the average maximum loan offered by lenders over the last 12 months, new research from Mortgage Broker Tools (MBT) has revealed.

Data from the MBT Affordability Index showed that the average maximum loan size offered by lenders was £243,400 in May, an increase of 2.5% on the average maximum loan size in May last year, when it was £237,500.

However, according to the latest Halifax House Price Index, the average price of a house in the UK during May was £261,743, representing annual growth of 9.5%. The figures mean the average UK home has increased in value by more than £22,000 over the last year.

The latest MBT Affordability Index also found that the difference between the maximum loan size and the smallest loan size available to an average customer with the same set of circumstances was £100,900 in May. This reflected a climb from £89,893 in May 2020.

MBT CEO, Tanya Toumadj, said: “The housing market reopened following the first national lockdown in May 2020 and, over the last 12 months, property prices have risen at their strongest level in nearly seven years according to the Halifax House Price Index.

“In the same period, mortgage lenders have increased their appetite to offer customers larger loans, but not nearly at the same rate. There is also a growing spread between the largest loan size that one lender might make available to a customer, compared to the largest loan size available from another lender.

“In this highly charged property market, it’s never been more important to conduct whole of market research to identify the most suitable lender that is able to help a buyer secure the loan they need to buy the property they want.”

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


FREE E-NEWS SIGN UP

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news and other industry announcements by email.

  Please tick here to confirm you are happy to receive third party promotions from carefully selected partners.


NEW BUILD IN FOCUS - NEW EPISODE OF THE MORTGAGE INSIDER PODCAST, OUT NOW
Figures from the National House-Building Council saw Q1 2025 register a 36% increase in new homes built across the UK compared with the same period last year, representing a striking development for the first-time buyer market. But with the higher cost of building, ongoing planning challenges and new and changing regulations, how sustainable is this growth? And what does it mean for brokers?

The role of the bridging market and technology usage in the industry
Content editor, Dan McGrath, sat down with chief operating officer at Black & White Bridging, Damien Druce, and head of development finance at Empire Global Finance, Pete Williams, to explore the role of the bridging sector, the role of AI across the industry and how the property market has fared in the Labour Government’s first year in office.


Does the North-South divide still exist in the UK housing market?
What do the most expensive parts of the country reveal about shifting demand? And why is the Manchester housing market now outperforming many southern counterparts?



In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance, to explore how regional trends are redefining the UK housing, mortgage and buy-to-let markets.

The new episode of The Mortgage Insider podcast, out now
Regional housing markets now matter more than ever. While London and the Southeast still tend to dominate the headlines from a house price and affordability perspective, much of the growth in rental yields and buyer demand is coming from other parts of the UK.

In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance.