Most people looking for a mortgage are unhappy with the application process

Dissatisfaction continues even after people have become customers

(Alan Cleaver)

People become increasingly less satisfied with the mortgage application process the further they get along it, says new research from YouGov.

Its latest report says that only around one third of people with a mortgage were satisfied with the application stage, and only 18 per cent with the financial stage.

And only 14 per cent of mortgage holders are satisfied with their providers after they have become customers.

"The bad news for providers is that most people dislike most parts of getting a mortgage," said Tom Rees, UK Research Manager at YouGov.

"The good news is that customers are pretty clear about what can be done to make the experience a happier one. For example, providers would improve perceptions of the application stage by giving applicants more personal control over the whole mortgage process. At the financial stage speeding up the decision-making process would prove popular. And once people have mortgages, lenders could improve things by increasing the level and quality of contact with their customers."

The Bank of England is expected to intervene to put controls on property lending soon, although its figures showed that the number of mortgages approved in April fell for the third month in a row. Llloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland have already put curbs on customers asking to borrow four times their income on loans above £500,000.

More than 27,000 homes have been bought under the Help to Buy schemes, which allow people to get a mortgage with a five per cent deposit, since they were launched last year.