Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the long term mortgageability of office to residential conversions when determining planning applications or prior approvals; and whether further guidance is planned to ensure future homeowners are not adversely affected by lending restrictions.

Decisions concerning the pricing and availability of mortgages are commercial decisions for lenders and the government does not seek to intervene in them.

My Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of mortgage availability restrictions on office-to-residential conversions, it holds no data on properties affected, and it has not issued specific guidance to local authorities on their long-term mortgageability.

The government is determined that lenders should treat borrowers fairly. Any dispute arising between a bank and its customers is usually best resolved by the parties involved. If a customer is not happy with their bank’s response, they can ask the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to review their complaint. The FOS provides a free, independent dispute resolution service for bank customers. Its decisions are binding on the firm concerned.