The number of new mortgages approved for house buyers fell in December, according to the Bank of England.
December saw 113,000 approvals, down from 129,000 in November and well below the average for the past six months.
The figures are likely to be interpreted as evidence that the property market may be about to slow in the coming months.
The Nationwide building society said house price growth slowed in January, following recent interest rate rises.
Important indicator
December is traditionally a quiet month for house buying, but approvals - mortgages granted but not yet spent - do not necessarily fall that in month.
However, approvals are widely regarded as an important indicator of short-term trends in the housing market.
If the fall is sustained in the coming months this would point to a downturn in house-buying activity.
"The smallest rise in house prices in eight months, and a fall in the number of mortgage loans, adds to evidence that the property market is beginning to feel the impact of higher interest rates," said Milan Khatri, chief economist at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
"Estate agents have signalled that the heat is coming out of the market and the slowdown is likely to continue as first-time buyers struggle with higher mortgage costs," he added.
At £10.6bn the amount of money actually lent in the form of home loans during December was another record, reflecting the strong rise in house prices in the past few years.
The new lending was twice the amount lent exactly five years ago.
The further rise in mortgage lending in December helped to push the total stock of personal debt in the UK to £1.29 trillion.
However, the rate at which consumer credit is growing - which includes measures such as credit card debt and bank loans - is now at its slowest since records started in 1994, at just 6.2% a year.
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