The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has estimated that gross mortgage lending reached £17.6 billion in February.

This is 5% lower than January (£18.5 billion) but 30% higher than February last year (£13.6 billion) and the highest lending total for a February since 2008 when gross lending reached £24.1 billion.

Mohammad Jamei, CML economist, said: “Lending continues the year on a positive note, with our monthly estimate showing an increase of 30% in February compared to a year ago. This growth rate is in line with what we saw in the closing months of 2015. The recovery is being underpinned by market fundamentals in the UK, as wages grow and unemployment falls, helped by government schemes and competitive mortgage deals.

“But we think it unlikely that there will be any significant acceleration in lending. While there may be a slight current boost to lending as some transactions seek to complete before the 1 April tax changes in the buy-to-let-sector, this is likely to be followed by a slight fall in activity. Affordability pressures continue to weigh on activity, as does the low number of properties coming on the market, though this has been improving very recently.”

Steve Griffiths, head of sales and distribution at Kensington, added: “The latest CML figures show continued year-on-year growth and this is reason to be cheerful. But the industry must ensure that this rise in lending is not limited to those who tick all the boxes of a standard mortgage application, because real life doesn’t always fit within these boxes.

“If we really want to grow a healthy and fair mortgage market, the industry needs to recognise and promote the needs of the self-employed and contract workers as well as those credit worthy individuals who have experienced credit blips in the past and subsequently got back on their financial feet.”