With lenders and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors both reporting inquiries for loans and viewings up, they claim this is not a sign of revival in the housing market but just a seasonal blip that occurs every year around Easter.

The Bank of England’s first Trends in Lending report says lending at more than 90% loan-to-value has gone as lenders consider such mortgages too risky while house prices are falling.

The report also notes that second loans and remortgages have virtually disappeared from the market as well, which is not good news if you arelooking for a mortgage.

The report also explains that interest rates do not necessarily reflect the true costs of a mortgage and that lenders have been pushing up arrangement fees and other related mortgage costs for about two years – adding up to £2,000 to the costs of an average mortgage.

Another factor little publicised is that lenders have also tightened up credit scoring that has had the result of locking millions of people with excellent credit records out of the mortgage market.

The Government announced earlier in the year that Northern Rock would have to increase mortgage lending, as will other banks with public shareholding like the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB.

To be fair, the banks seem to be chasing their own tails – they claim lending is down because of a slump in the housing market, but other housing professionals say the banks turning off the lending tap caused the slump.

Despite apportioning blame, many people want to get on the housing ladder or move house but can’t because they don’t know where to get a mortgage.

Our advice is consider a site like ours to find what is available on the mortgage market and be realistic about what you can afford to buy because interest rates will inevitably rise at some time in the future.

Using a mortgage comparison site like ours makes life easy for homebuyers – all you have to do is complete a simple form and we report back with all the mortgage deals currently on the market that fit your needs.

Just because your bank has knocked you back for a mortgage does not mean every lender will refuse an application.

Our mortgage comparison site shows all the best mortgage rates and loan-to-value deals available.

It’s also a good idea to check the site regularly as some mortgage offers are limited and the rates and conditions can change quickly.

Nevertheless, reading the reports from official sources like the Bank of England in detail, it’s apparent that although the Government and the Bank are pressurising lenders to lend more money to homeowners, the lenders are resisting and concentrating on rebuilding their own balance sheets with public money before going back in to the markets.