Rupert Bates talks to England rugby international and mortgage advisor Duncan Bell

Mortgage advisor and rugby international Duncan Bell believes housebuilders need strength in numbers to get starter homes moving. Rupert Bates reports:

When Duncan Bell, the Bath and England rugby prop, has his head down in a scrum or trapped at the bottom of a ruck, he is probably not thinking about what loan-to-value mortgage he can arrange for a client.

But away from rugby Bell is a mortgage advisor, running Bell Financial Services; further confirmation, as they are quick to tell you, that front-row forwards are indeed the sharpest minds on the sports field.

Bell, who has won five caps for England, originally qualified as a plumber, before becoming a qualified mortgage adviser, working part-time when his rugby commitments allow and now building up a good client base from his Wiltshire office.

"Dodgy knees and being the size of a small car meant I was not the best shape to get behind toilet cisterns."

It is difficult to know which is the toughest job at the moment; packing down in rugby scrums, or trying to secure a mortgage.

"Some clients come to me saying they have 100 to 120 per cent mortgages hanging over them from just three years ago. It is hard to tell them there is nothing I can do to change their current provider and they are in negative equity. They are often stuck in a property they have grown out of. Seeing a family with a couple of kids stuck in a one-bedroom flat is hard to take."

Bell, who over the years has bought from three different housebuilders - Bovis Homes, Bryant and Persimmon - wants to see the housebuilding industry work together to try and address the plight of the first time buyer.

"New homes may be only a small part of the overall market; starter homes within the sector smaller still and housebuilding completions at a record low. Builders have been very proactive already, but is there an opportunity for a powerful new homes alliance to lobby lenders with some pretty compelling numbers?"

That record low, the worst since 1923, was 102,570 new homes last year, down 13 per cent on 2009.

The fact that housebuilders have started launching their own brand mortgage schemes is, says Bell, prove there is an appetite, albeit one largely born of frustration and even desperation, within the industry to unlock the market.

The other fear is changing business models, with developers concentrating on building homes further up the ladder, where buyers at least have equity in existing properties. But with no first rung there is no market.

Bell said: "We all know first time buyers are the catalyst not just to kick-start the housing market, but to re-boot the economy. A first time buyer looking to buy brand new means there is no issue with chains, so tailored mortgage products, albeit responsible ones given the sins of the past, could work."

Bell, as his buying history shows, is a big fan of new build. "They are often the best solution for young families, coming oven-ready and, hopefully, with no work to do on the property."

"Obviously there is the inter-bank lending rate to factor in, but it is very difficult for first-time borrowers to comprehend why the base rate is 0.5 per cent and the mortgage rate so much higher, even if low historically."

Bell knows the banks will argue that regulatory reforms require them to hold more liquidity and capital and be more risk averse. "Caution is understandable and we do not want a return to irresponsible lending, but banks have simply got too cautious and buyers, who have saved big deposits and have good, secure jobs and sound credit histories, are having mortgage applications turned down."

Bell says it is no wonder there is friction between generations, with young people unable to get on the ladder resenting the housing wealth of the over-40s.

A Barratt Homebuyers Panel revealed that young adults are more attached to the idea of owning their own home than any other age group, with the average age of the unassisted first time buyer now 37 and the deposit to buy a new home averaging 30 per cent of the purchase price.

"It is all very well some people saying it is time for a culture change in attitude with the British, like many Europeans, embracing a lifetime of renting. But sorry, the concept of home ownership and its status is engrained in our psyche. Increasing the supply of new homes is also critical to the health of the housing market. Obviously housebuilders have all sorts of planning and regulatory issues to deal with and a long wait to find out if the government's localism agenda and the New Homes Bonus actually deliver."