Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The 5% Sample Survey of Building Society Mortgage Completions (BSM) has been in existence since 1965. The Archive holds data from 1974. Monthly returns, giving detailed information on a nominal 5% sample of all mortgage completions, have been submitted on a voluntary basis by most building societies to the Department of Environment who process the data on a quarterly basis. The survey results have served as the offical source of statistics on the owner-occupied housing market, providing a wealth of information on mortgage advances, dwelling prices and the characteristics of borrowers and properties. An increased share of the mortgage market being accounted for by other lenders and a widening range of mortgage products during the 1980s have necessitated change, leading to the BSM being succeeded by the Survey of Mortgage Lenders (SML) in 1992 (see GN: 33254). An important consideration for users of the data is that the SML figures allow continuity with the BSM survey results to be maintained for a reasonable period.
Main Topics: Building Society code, date mortgage completed, whether dwelling is wholly or partly occupied by borrower. Mortgage amount, whether solely for purchase of property, period of mortgage, gross rate of interest, repayment method. Purchase price and whether discounted in any way. Location of dwelling, whether new, age of dwelling, type, number of habitable rooms, whether garage, rateable value. Number and sex of borrowers, age of main borrower, basic income, other income, total income, whether applicant previously owner occupier, previous tenure, whether main borrower nominated by LA under support lending scheme.
Building Societies are divided into four strata according to the size of their assets. All the largest societies are asked to complete questionnaires on a sample of 5 per cent of their new mortgage advances. Mortgages are included if their reference numbers end in specified digits chosen so that every twentieth mortgage is selected. Societies in the next stratum are arranged in order of size of assets and alternate societies chosen each of which are asked to complete questionnaires on 10 per cent of their mortgages. In the next stratum 20 per cent of the mortgages of every fourth society are obtained. The smallest societies are completely excluded.
Postal survey
