26 January 2010

Following the Council of Mortgage Lenders publication of its mortgage lending figures, Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) said:
"Mortgage lending rose in December because of a rush of people trying to get onto the housing ladder ahead of the Government's ill-advised removal of the stamp duty holiday.
"The real impact of that decision will be known when the figures for January are revealed. If in January there is a large drop in lending, the Government will find it difficult to justify ending the stamp duty holiday and making it more difficult for people to own property.”