There’s more evidence that first-time buyers are getting back into the property market, as surveyors noted an increase in mortgage lending to small deposit borrowers.

Surveyor e.surv’s January Mortgage Monitor found that 21% of all approvals went to small deposit buyers – those putting down up to 15% – up from 18.2% in December 2017.

It is also up from just 17.2% in November 2017.

By contrast, the proportion of loans to bigger deposit borrowers – those with a deposit of up to 40% – fell from 35.9% in December to 33.5% last month.

The proportion of loans going to mid-market borrowers – those with deposits of up to 25% – also fell slightly, compared to December, from 45.9% to 45.5% in January.

The north-west saw a higher proportion of loans approved to small deposit buyers than anywhere else in the UK at 31.1%, while the figure was just 16.6% in London. Only 24.1% of mortgages went to larger deposit borrowers in the north-west, the data suggests.

Yorkshire saw 30.3% of mortgage approvals go to small deposit borrowers in January, with just 23.4% going to larger borrowers.

Richard Sexton, director at e.surv, said: “First-time buyers and others with smaller deposits have experienced a strong start to the year, with the proportion of loans rising compared to the end of 2017.

“While other types of borrowers have been squeezed, the larger overall mortgage market means that more people are getting approved than a month ago.

“We know that raising a deposit is one of the most difficult tasks would-be home owners face. House hunters in London face an uphill struggle to get themselves a big enough deposit to buy, but there are places in the UK which offer much more fertile ground.

“In the north-west and Yorkshire there are more mortgages approved to buyers with smaller deposits than those with a large cash pile. Both are ideal places to get your foot on to the property ladder.”