How’s the UK Doing?UK economic statistics, explained
How’s the UK Doing?

How many mortgages were approved to buy a home?

Loans agreed for someone to buy a home

54,918

August 2026

Down from 65,364 in August 2025

Where this sits in the last 10 years
10-year low 9,36010-year high 107,803
Published
Next update
Published monthly

Recent figures may be revised.

Mortgage approvals

August 2026 · 54,918, down 10,446 on a year earlier

Usual range (middle 80% of the last 10 years)

Each year adds up the months. 2026 so far covers January to August.

Each line is the running total from January. 2026 so far covers January to August.

Source: Bank of England

What this means for people

Fewer agreed loans means fewer people are set to buy a home.

This is the number of sterling mortgages approved for individuals to buy a house. The Bank of England adjusts the count for the time of year.

Latest figures

See the figures as a table
PeriodValue
August 202654,918
July 202655,928
June 202658,116
May 202656,330
April 202665,021
March 202662,951
February 202662,347
January 202660,208
December 202561,421
November 202564,581
October 202564,778
September 202566,104
Each year adds up the months.
YearPeriod coveredValue
2026 so farJanuary to August475,819
2025January to December769,441
2024January to December754,651
2023January to December577,371
2022January to December751,786
2021January to December937,745
2020January to December819,547
2019January to December789,599
2018January to December781,447
2017January to December797,593
2016January to December810,204
Each month
Period2023202420252026 so far
January39,80856,05766,31560,208
February82,627115,758130,975122,555
March133,518176,910194,459185,506
April182,149238,107254,179250,527
May233,039298,870316,745306,857
June287,709360,074381,382364,973
July337,065422,884447,193420,901
August382,408488,286512,557475,819
September426,453553,921578,661
October474,548621,789643,439
November524,830687,686708,020
December577,371754,651769,441

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How to read this

Agreed, not completed

These are mortgages lenders have agreed for a house purchase. A sale can still fall through before the price is recorded.

Adjusted for the time of year

The Bank of England removes the usual seasonal pattern, so one month can be compared with the next.

Sterling loans to individuals

This counts sterling mortgages for individuals buying a house. It is not the interest rate on those loans.

A count for one month

Each figure is the number of approvals in that month. One month can move a long way from the month before.

Source

Publisher
Bank of England
Official title
Monthly number of total sterling approvals for house purchase to individuals seasonally adjusted
Series
LPMVTVX
Geography
United Kingdom
Status
Official statistics
Cite this

Bank of England (2026) Monthly number of total sterling approvals for house purchase to individuals seasonally adjusted, August 2026 (series LPMVTVX).