Mortgage rules will save us from ourselves

The Central Bank’s proposed restriction on mortgages is a welcome step in stabilising house prices. Yet it is astonishing to hear people complain because it prevents them from borrowing beyond their means.

The previous boom proved that we, as a nation, are incapable of making rational decisions when buying property.

The seduction of cheap credit, and the relentless encouragement to get on the ‘property ladder’, rushed many people into pressured decisions that had grave financial consequences.