UK credit availability: secured household lending
UK credit availability: secured household lending stood at -15.5 Net percentage balance in Q3 2026, according to Bank of England — Credit Conditions Survey. It is one of the indicators in the Credit Conditions Survey table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q2 2007 to Q3 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Credit Conditions Survey table
| Indicator | Q3-2026 | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit availability, past three months | |||||||||||
| Households, secured lending | -15.5 | 2.6 | 15.5 | 30.3 | 36.9 | 23.2 | 9.2 | 22.4 | 10 | 2 | |
| Households, unsecured lending | -11 | 24.3 | -2.8 | 10.6 | 7.6 | 11.3 | 15.8 | 10.3 | 9.3 | 1.4 |
Understanding UK credit availability: secured household lending
This series measures the net percentage balance of financial institutions reporting changes in the availability of residential mortgages and other property-secured loans across the United Kingdom over the preceding three months. Survey respondents evaluate credit conditions by weighing institutions that tightened lending criteria against those that eased conditions for homeowners and property buyers. Unlike unsecured borrowing metrics, this measure captures lending backed by collateral, isolating mortgage underwriting standards from consumer credit lines.
Interpreting the net percentage balance requires tracking quarterly shifts rather than annual comparisons, as lenders adjust underwriting thresholds in response to evolving risk appetites and funding costs. Early estimates are seldom revised retrospectively because the survey records qualitative sentiment at a fixed point in time. Analysts should avoid equating this indicator with completed mortgage lending volumes, as availability constraints reflect supply-side decisions rather than total borrower demand.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a positive net percentage balance indicate for secured household lending?
- A positive balance shows that more lenders eased mortgage availability than tightened it over the past three months across the United Kingdom.
- Does this series cover buy-to-let mortgages alongside residential home purchases?
- Yes, both owner-occupier and buy-to-let mortgage lending criteria evaluated by participating institutions are included within secured household credit.
- How does secured lending availability differ from credit demand measures?
- Availability reflects the willingness of lenders to extend credit, whereas demand measures track the volume of loan applications received from borrowers.