Homeowner mortgage arrears fall for a tenth quarter in a row to 76,080
UK Finance figures for July to September show fewer homeowners and landlords behind on payments than a year ago, though repossessions edged up on the previous quarter.
The number of homeowners behind on their mortgage fell again between July and September, the tenth quarterly drop in a row, according to figures from the banking trade body UK Finance.
There were 76,080 homeowner mortgages in arrears in the third quarter of 2026. That was 2% fewer than in the previous three months and 10% fewer than a year earlier.
As a share of all homeowner mortgages, arrears stood at 0.87%.
Buy-to-let arrears fell faster over the year, to 8,170, down 3% on the quarter and 22% on the same period of 2025, or 0.43% of buy-to-let loans. The lightest band of buy-to-let arrears was the only measure to rise on the quarter, and only slightly. It was still 18% lower than a year before.
Repossessions
Lenders took possession of 1,840 properties in the quarter, up from 1,780 between April and June. That was still 20% lower than in the third quarter of 2025.
- Homeowners: possessions were unchanged on the quarter, 17% lower than a year earlier and at their lowest level since the end of 2024.
- Buy-to-let: possessions rose 10% on the quarter to 690, but were 23% below the same quarter last year.
The figures cover a period before the Bank of England raised Bank Rate to 4% on 5 November, and lenders including Nationwide have since said they will raise their variable mortgage rates.
UK Finance said borrowers who are worried about meeting payments should get in touch with their lender as early as possible, and that asking a lender about support does not affect a credit score.
