United Kingdom Mortgage Approvals

Net mortgage approvals for house purchases in the UK fell slightly to 65,018 in October 2025, down from a revised 65,647 in September, but still exceeded market expectations of 64,200. The data indicate that the housing market is sustaining a gradual recovery amid falling interest rates, although some prospective buyers have held off amid concerns over potential tax increases on property in the November budget. Meanwhile, remortgage approvals, tracking borrowers switching lenders, dropped by 3,600 to 33,100 in October. The ‘effective’ interest rate on newly drawn mortgages declined to 4.17% from 4.19% in September, its lowest level since January 2023 (3.88%), reflecting a continued downward trend since March 2025. The rate on the outstanding stock of mortgages held steady at 3.89% for the third consecutive month.