Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will protect people purchasing houses from lost sales due to mortgages and other loans not being fulfilled due to the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government is committed to supporting homeowners and home buyers during COVID-19. This included making mortgage holidays available to all mortgage holders for up to 6 months support for consumers struggling with mortgage payments; consumers have until 31 March 2021 to apply and all holidays must be completed by 31 July. We also brought in a temporary Stamp Duty Land Tax cut in order to encourage and maintain confidence in the property market.

The Government does not seek to intervene in individual home purchases, but, we have worked with industry on a range of measures to make the process of buying and selling homes quicker, cheaper and less stressful. For example, we published "how to " guides to lead consumers through the process, ensured estate agent referral fees are transparent, set an 10 day turnaround for searches and started work to test reservation agreements which will increase commitment between buyers and sellers.