Atom bank comments on latest ONS Private Rent and House Price data

19 November 2025

Comment from Chris Storey, Chief Commercial Officer at Atom bank:

“While the ONS has reported a slowing in the rate of house price growth, they have still hit another record high. Despite this, there are deals to be had - analysis from Propertymark shows that 93% of sales at the moment are at below asking price, the highest ratio in years. While prices are rising, vendors are willing to negotiate, and the falls in mortgage rates mean buyers feel more comfortable pursuing a transaction.

“Next week’s Budget has to be seen as a great opportunity to boost the position of hopeful buyers. Despite promises of greatly improved rates of housebuilding, production is going backwards, and until that challenge is tackled we are likely to see house prices grow further. While measures that support high-LTV buyers would be welcome, the Chancellor must ensure they don’t simply push prices to unaffordable levels.

“For mortgage lenders, there is a duty to ensure certain subsections of aspiring borrowers are not excluded. Our recent Near Prime Index showed brokers are frustrated by the black and white attitudes of lenders towards borrowers with credit blips, for example. It’s our responsibility to ensure applicants are judged fairly, based on their individual circumstances, rather than relying on unsophisticated, box-ticking methods which can discriminate.”