The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), added that it is open to using other ‘guidance services’ in future iterations of its How to Buy and How to Sell guides, which were published last week.
The government has denied endorsing Which? Mortgage Advisers in two consumer guides following an accusation by the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries this morning.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), added that it is open to using other ‘guidance services’ in future iterations of its How to Buy and How to Sell guides, which were published last week.
An MHCLG spokeswoman said: “The government does not endorse individual mortgage providers or advisers.
“Buying a home can be a difficult and complex process so these pages are currently the best source of consumer advice and guidance on choosing the right estate agent or buying a new-build home.”
AMI raised the issue with the MHCLG last week, while in response some of the links to Which? were removed.
However both guides still link to Which? twice. The Which? pages in question currently link to the association’s mortgage adviser arm, with the words ‘‘Which? Mortgage Advisers can match you to the deal that works for you’ and an accompanying phone number.
The government added that all the links to the Which? webpages in the guides are related to consumer guidance, such as choosing the right estate agent or the pros and cons of buying a new build home.
Meanwhile it worked closely with stakeholders across the property industry to develop the guides.
It said current and prospective homeowners can be assured that the guides contain the accurate and relevant information they need to support them to buy and sell their homes.
A Which? spokesman said: "The independent and impartial advice from Which? that is included in these guides is available for anyone to use for free."
