The number of homes repossessed by mortgage lenders remained near five-year lows at the start of the year, as record-low interest rates help homeowners.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said the repossession rate in the three months to March remained at 0.07% – meaning fewer than 1 in 1,400 mortgaged properties were taken into possession by lenders.

A total of 8,000 properties were repossessed in the first quarter of 2013, down by 17% compared to the same period last year.

The CML said a fifth of those repossessions were on buy-to-let properties, rather than owner-occupied homes.

Separate CML figures released today showed that the buy-to-let sector continues to grow. By the end of March buy-to-let lending accounted for 13.4% of the total mortgage market, up from 13% in the previous quarter.

Repossessions did increase slightly from the previous quarter, up from 7,700. The CML said this was a normal seasonal upturn.

The CML said low interest rates, continuing employment, lender forbearance and Government policy were helping people keep their homes.