Interest rate rise is not hurting the housing market

The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years, in response to surging price rises.

Most analysts believe the increase - to 0.25 per cent from 0.1 per cent- will make negligible difference to the housing market.

The decision by the Bank of England will add just over £15 to the typical monthly repayment for a tracker mortgage customer. A standard variable rate mortgage-holder is likely to pay nearly £10 extra a month.

Around 50 per cent of all homes are owned outright anyway, with no mortgage owed on them, and of the rest around three quarters have fixed rate mortgage deals, meaning their repayments won’t change until their current deal ends.

The remaining two million owners are on standard variable rate mortgages or tracker mortgages so their repayments will go up as individual mortgage lenders increase their rates in response to the Bank of England announcement.

The rise has been a long time coming, and with inflation now at decade high levels, there really is little alternative. The rate rise has been priced into mortgages, and with fixed mortgages making up around 80% of the current market, the housing sector is unlikely to be impacted too dramatically.

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Demand still outstripping supply

The reality is that demand for housing continues to outstrip supply which will sustain prices for 2022. But with the cost of living continuing to rise, this could have an impact on the housing market for the medium term.

Mortgage rates have been creeping up over the past few months, and while those on variable rates will see payments increase, the cost of borrowing remains low relative to historic levels.

With indications that lifestyle factors are continuing to prompt many into making a move, we do not expect the announcement to have a significant, negative impact on the market as we move in 2022.

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