Property research desk

Market notes, data checks & field commentary

Some notes on housing-market research, methodology updates, and source notes, built to show how the signals are interpreted and where the numbers come from. Best case, you find it interesting, worst, you killed some time whilst the kettle boils.

Introducing the Property Market Economic Indicators Dashboard

General

November 14, 2025

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Introducing the Property Market Economic Indicators Dashboard

Learn how the UK Property Market Economic Indicators Dashboard analyses interest rates, inflation, wage growth, unemployment, mortgage approvals, repossessions and house prices to create a data-driven stress index based on quarterly trends.

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General

April 11, 2022

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Affordability testing is changing

There have been many articles circulating in the media for the last few days claiming lenders are getting tough on the cost of living crisis. Some inflammatory commentators suggest lenders are deliberately squeezing some borrowers out of the market and other frankly wrong comments.

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News

June 20, 2022

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Affordability Stress Test is going!

Following on from a previous post I wrote in March around a consultation being run by the Bank of England regarding the removal of the mortgage affordability stress test, the result is in. Surprisingly it is going to be removed from the 1st August 2022.

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Will removing the affordability stress test help me?

Questions

July 9, 2022

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Will removing the affordability stress test help me?

I have been getting a few questions all with the same theme around the removal of the affordability stress test. Understandably many are still confused as to what it actually means for them when it comes to applying for a mortgage and what the impact or indeed benefits are.

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Have lenders stopped using the interest stress test?

News

August 14, 2022

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Have lenders stopped using the interest stress test?

From the 1st of August 2022 lenders were able to stop stress testing mortgages. An affordability test that was introduced in 2014 to ensure borrowers could still cope with an interest rate shock. Although we are only 3 weeks on have any lenders dropped the test?

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What happened to the mortgage affordability stress test?

Views

May 16, 2023

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What happened to the mortgage affordability stress test?

The Financial Policy Committee, part of the Bank of England held a consultation with a view to removing the requirement to stress mortgage rates to ensure robust affordability testing. They determined it was no longer needed. So why are lenders still using it?

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Market notes, data checks & field commentary

Introducing the Property Market Economic Indicators Dashboard

Affordability testing is changing

Affordability Stress Test is going!

Will removing the affordability stress test help me?

Have lenders stopped using the interest stress test?

What happened to the mortgage affordability stress test?

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