"It’s promising to see that the instructions spike in the third week of May continued into the fourth week, as the housing market builds momentum."
Its figures show that instruction volumes grew by 7.2% between the third and fourth weeks of May, delivering the highest activity levels since the week commencing 9th March and continuing the pattern of growth already seen in May. After 15 working days of the month, instructions are 11.1% higher than the for same period in April 2020.
Completions fell slightly between the third and fourth weeks of May, in line with normal monthly trends. Completion volumes for the 15 working days of May so far are 18% higher than April and 21% higher than March.
Continued strong instruction volumes and consistent completion numbers, combined with a drop in cancellations from the third to the fourth week of May, mean that the pipeline is showing an improving trend.
Total pipeline volumes are currently on track to be 16.3% lower than May 2019.
Cancellations bucked the recent trend from the second and third weeks of May, recording a fall of 32.2% from the third to the fourth week, reflecting a returning confidence in the market as lock down measures ease.
Nick Chadbourne, CEO of LMS, commented: “It’s promising to see that the instructions spike in the third week of May continued into the fourth week, as the housing market builds momentum. A wider range of available products and loosening restrictions are giving borrowers more freedom to choose the right option for their individual circumstances.
“Together with a consistent volume of completions and falling cancellations, we’re seeing a slightly better picture of the future pipeline than last week, and hope to see this continue as confidence, demand and choice keep coming back to the market."
