Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Solutions. Read the original article for full details.

Mortgage Sector Wellbeing Improves But Long Hours Keep Burnout Risk Alive

Mental wellbeing among mortgage sector professionals has improved over the past year, according to the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter (MIMHC) Mental Health & Wellbeing Survey 2026. Long working hours persist across the industry, however, and the Charter has warned that this continues to raise the risk of burnout.

The findings are relevant to letting agents and inventory clerks working alongside mortgage intermediaries, brokers and advisers, whose own workloads are often shaped by the same market pressures and lender service levels cited in the survey.

Stronger Evidence Base, Better Scores

The 2026 survey gathered responses from 536 people in the mortgage sector, up from 300 the previous year, the strongest evidence base since the survey began. Some 53% of respondents described their mental wellbeing as good or excellent, up from 41% last year, while the proportion reporting poor or concerning wellbeing fell from 59% to 49%.

Despite this, nearly half of respondents (49%) said they worked more than 45 hours per week, an improvement on last year's 59% but still a heavy load. Sleep also remains an issue: just 21% said they got eight hours of sleep on non-working days, and 63% achieved that level on no more than three working days, unchanged from the previous survey.

Wellbeing Support Schemes Under Scrutiny

The MIMHC found a decline in workplace wellbeing support from employers. Just 53% of respondents said their company had an initiative or strategy in place, down from 70% in 2025, while 30% said their employer offered no wellbeing support and 17% did not know. Among those whose employers did provide support, only 35% said it had improved over the year, down from 47% previously.

The Charter noted this does not necessarily mean employers are withdrawing support, but it raises questions about how accessible and visible such support is to employees, a point relevant to firms across the residential property sector.

Hybrid Working Is Now the Norm

The largest share of mortgage professionals (45%) now work in a hybrid model, splitting time between home and office. The proportion permanently working from home rose from 32% to 37%, while just 18% have fully returned to the office.

However, only 30% said their working arrangements improved their mental health, down from 39% last year. The MIMHC said this suggests flexible working has become a normal aspect of the sector rather than a wellbeing solution in itself.

Economic Pressures and the Road Ahead

The economic environment was the most commonly cited contributor to workplace stress, named by 30% of respondents. Anonymous responses also pointed to workload, targets, staffing shortages, internal systems, management change, and lender and solicitor service levels.

Two-thirds of respondents (67%) said the first half of the year was the most stressful period of the last 12 months, with 38% singling out January to March alone. In response, the MIMHC's 2027 programme will focus on Healthier Balance, Confident Leadership, Wellbeing in Business, Stronger Connections, Personal Resilience and Sustained Impact, including mental health first aid, manager resources and industry events.