Mortgage rates increased at a record pace in 2022, with the 10-year fixed mortgage rate doubling between March 2022 and December 2022. With inflation increasing, the Bank of England introduced several bank rate hikes, resulting in higher mortgage rates. In May 2025, the average 10-year fixed rate interest rate reached **** percent. As borrowing costs get higher, demand for housing is expected to decrease, leading to declining market sentiment and slower house price growth. How have the mortgage hikes affected the market? After surging in 2021, the number of residential properties sold declined in 2023, reaching just above *** million. Despite the number of transactions falling, this figure was higher than the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. The falling transaction volume also impacted mortgage borrowing. Between the first quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, the value of new mortgage loans fell year-on-year for five straight quarters in a row. How are higher mortgages affecting homebuyers? Homeowners with a mortgage loan usually lock in a fixed rate deal for two to ten years, meaning that after this period runs out, they need to renegotiate the terms of the loan. Many of the mortgages outstanding were taken out during the period of record-low mortgage rates and have since faced notable increases in their monthly repayment. About **** million homeowners are projected to see their deal expire by the end of 2026. About *** million of these loans are projected to experience a monthly payment increase of up to *** British pounds by 2026.

Mortgage Rate in the United Kingdom increased to 6.99 percent in July from 6.98 percent in June of 2025. This dataset provides - United Kingdom BBA Mortgage Rate- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The house price index (HPI) shows changes in the value of residential properties in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. With the HPI set at a base of 100 in January 2023, a value of over 100 would mark an increase in the average dwelling price. A value of under 100 points, on the other hand, would indicate that the average price has dropped. In April 2025, the index measured 101.7 index points, showing an increase of 1.7 percent since January 2023. UK house prices grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic House prices in the UK grew steadily between 2015 and 2020, fueled by stable economic growth and low borrowing costs. In the following two years, a combination of factors exacerbated this trend. These factors included a stamp duty holiday, low interest rates, a shortage of new homes supplied, and a high housing demand. As a result, house price growth soared, hitting a record 13.6 percent in July 2022. This trend in the index, and therefore the value of UK residential properties, has also been observed by the Halifax house price index. What is the average house price in the UK? Average house prices are affected by several factors. Economic growth, unemployment, interest rates and mortgage availability can all drive them up or down. A shortage of supply means that the need for housing and the competitive market created will push house prices up. An excess of housing, on the other hand, means prices fall to stimulate buyers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of house sales in the UK spiked, followed by a period of decline. In 2023 and 2024, the housing market slowed notably, and in January 2025, transaction volumes fell to 46,774. House sales volumes are impacted by a number of factors, including mortgage rates, house prices, supply, demand, as well as the overall health of the market. The economic uncertainty and rising unemployment rates has also affected the homebuyer sentiment of Brits. How have UK house prices developed over the past 10 years? House prices in the UK have increased year-on-year since 2015, except for a brief period of decline in the second half of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. That is based on the 12-month percentage change of the UK house price index. At the peak of the housing boom in 2022, prices soared by nearly 14 percent. The decline that followed was mild, at under three percent. The cooling in the market was more pronounced in England and Wales, where the average house price declined in 2023. Conversely, growth in Scotland and Northern Ireland continued. What is the impact of mortgage rates on house sales? For a long period, mortgage rates were at record-low, allowing prospective homebuyers to take out a 10-year loan at a mortgage rate of less than three percent. In the last quarter of 2021, this period came to an end as the Bank of England rose the bank lending rate to contain the spike in inflation. Naturally, the higher borrowing costs affected consumer sentiment, urging many homebuyers to place their plans on hold and leading to a decline in sales.

In 2025, students graduating from English universities will have incurred an average of 53,000 British pounds of student loan debt, compared with 39,000 pounds in Wales, 28,000 pounds in Northern Ireland, and around 18,000 pounds in Scotland.

The annual value of the loans granted by the NatWest Group to its customers and other banks increased between 2017 and 2023, yet with slight fluctuations. In 2023, the total value reached around 388 billion British pounds, primarily due to a significant growth in customer loans from 366 billion to 381 billion British pounds. On the other hand, loans to banks experienced a slight decrease compared to the previous year. The NatWest group was named the Royal Bank of Scotland group until 2020, when it was renamed after the branch under which the majority of its business was delivered.

As of 2025, the outstanding student loan debt in the United Kingdom reached over 292 billion British pounds, with the majority of the debt coming from England at 266.6 billion pounds, with student loan debt in Scotland amounting to 9.4 billion, Wales 10.6 billion, and Northern Ireland 5.6 billion.