SHANGHAI - China’s local governments are stepping up the easing of rules for their housing markets, as a protracted sales slump weighs on the economy and real estate developers. 

A total of 15 cities have removed the lower limit for mortgage rates on first home purchases as at April 10, the Economic Observer reported, citing its tally of announcements by local governments.

The move, powered by the central bank’s relaxation of minimum mortgage rates in 2023, is designed to entice home buyers as prices fall. 

Four cities relaxed polices on housing provident fund loans, a cheaper bank loan that is mostly used to buy apartments. Beijing increased the loan quota by 400,000 yuan (S$76,000) and southern trading hub Guangzhou raised it by 200,000 yuan. 

The moves did little to assure investors, with a Bloomberg Intelligence gauge of China property developer stocks falling 2 per cent on the morning of April 11, extending 2023’s decline to 28 per cent. 

China’s residential sales slump dragged on in March, dashing hopes for a turnaround during the traditionally busy spring season. The downturn has worsened a liquidity crisis at builders including China Vanke, and swelled bad loans at the largest state-owned banks.

“The fact that two tier-1 cities eased home buying policies raises the prospect for further local relaxations ahead,” said E-House China Enterprise Holdings executive director Ding Zuyu. “After all, expectations for a property recovery fell short in the first quarter.” BLOOMBERG