In 2024, the average age of recent first-time buyers in London was slightly higher than the England average. Across the UK, first-time buyers accounted for approximately 290,000 home sales. First-time buyer prices and mortgages In London, the average value of a mortgage for first-time buyers was far higher than all other regions in the UK. Apart from the initial cost of a down payment, those that can afford to, see monthly payment savings against those renting. In certain parts of the country, annual savings of buying against renting saw first time buyers amounted to over two thousand British pounds. Help to buy To encourage first-time buyers, the UK government started the "Help to buy" scheme. The scheme sees people saving for a first-time home receive a 25% bonus to their savings when purchasing a house valued at 250,000 British pounds (450,000 British pounds in London). Between December 2015 and March 2018, the North West of England saw the highest number of Help to buy ISA bonuses paid.

Since 2011, the average age of British citizens buying their first home in the United Kingdom (UK) increased by three years. In 2011, the average age for the country was 29, while in 2023, it reached 32 years. Nevertheless, the average age varied in different regions.

About 36 percent of homeowners in England were aged 65 and above, which contrasts sharply with younger age groups, particularly those under 35. Young adults between 25 and 35, made up 15 percent of homeowners and had a dramatically lower homeownership rate. The disparity highlights the growing challenges faced by younger generations in entering the property market, a trend that has significant implications for wealth distribution and social mobility. Barriers to homeownership for young adults The path to homeownership has become increasingly difficult for young adults in the UK. A 2023 survey revealed that mortgage affordability was the greatest obstacle to property purchase. This represents a 39 percent increase from 2021, reflecting the impact of rising house prices and mortgage rates. Despite these challenges, one in three young adults still aspire to get on the property ladder as soon as possible, though many have put their plans on hold. The need for additional financial support from family, friends, and lenders has become more prevalent, with one in five young adults acknowledging this necessity. Regional disparities and housing supply The housing market in England faces regional challenges, with North West England and the West Midlands experiencing the largest mismatch between housing supply and demand in 2023. This imbalance is evident in the discrepancy between new homes added to the housing stock and the number of new households formed. London, despite showing signs of housing shortage, has seen the largest difference between homes built and households formed. The construction of new homes has been volatile, with a significant drop in 2020, a rebound in 2021 and a gradual decline until 2024.

The distribution of all owner-occupier households in England in 2024 varied per age group, as well as the type of home financing. The older the age group, the larger the share of owner-occupier homeowners who purchased their home outright. A share of 2.1 percent of own outright homeowners were between the ages of 25 to 34, whereas a share of 62.1 percent of own outright homeowners were aged 65 and over. Although this is the case, the largest share of homeowners who purchased their house with a mortgage was in the age range of 35 to 44 years old.

Nearly one out of four European consumers who were tenants in 2019, believed they would not be able to buy a home in the future. This belief was especially shared in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, and the UK. However, those who did expect to eventually become first-home buyers believed it was more likely to happen once they passed the age of 35. Indeed, in 2019, roughly 16 percent of European respondents believed they had to wait until they were older than 35 to be able to buy a property.

For the past decade, buying a home in the UK has been more affordable than renting one, when only considering the monthly costs. The renting versus buying gap fluctuated during the period and in 2016, it reached its highest value of 131 British pounds. In 2023, the monthly costs for a first-time buyer were 1,231 British pounds, compared to 1,258 British pounds for renters. Rental growth vs house price growth Housing costs in the UK have been on an uprise, with both renting and buying a home increasingly unreachable. Though the monthly costs of buying have consistently been lower in the past decade, house price growth has been much stronger than rental growth since the beginning of the pandemic. Additionally, buyers have been affected by the aggressive mortgage rate hikes, making acquiring their first home even less affordable. Barriers to homeownership Buying a home is not straightforward. For younger (18-40) potential first-time buyers, there are a number of barriers. Approximately one in three first-time buyers point out that raising a deposit was the main obstacle. Other reasons stopping buyers were not being able to take out a mortgage on their current income and poor credit ratings. Unsurprisingly, the highest share of people who buy a home with a mortgage was in the age group of 45 to 55-year-olds.

This statistic displays the share of adults in the Untied Kingdom (UK) that outright own their home in 2020, by age group. There is a clear correlation between age and home ownership with 76 percent of those between 65 and 74 years owning their dwelling outright. Among adults aged between 18 and 24 only one percent own their home outright. A similar trend is observed when it comes to home ownership by age group.

Average House Prices in the United Kingdom decreased to 298602 GBP in February from 298815 GBP in January of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United Kingdom Average House Prices.

This CSV table shows a breakdown of the dwelling stock down to a lower geographic level Lower layer Super Output Area or LSOA, categorised by the property build period below and in the CSV metadata.

Counts in the tables are rounded to the nearest 10 with those below 5 recorded as negligible and appearing as -.

Data on build period, or age of property, has been used to create 12 property build period categories: Pre-1900, 1900-1918, 1919-1929, 1930-1939, 1945-1954, 1955-1964, 1965-1972, 1973-1982, 1983-1992, 1993-1999, 2000-2009, and 2010-2012.

Data is availalble in CSV format for both 2012 and 2014.

The counts are calculated from domestic property data for England and Wales extracted from the Valuation Office Agencys administrative database on 1 August 2012 and 31 March 2014.

The VOA have also published data that shows homes by period built, or type, and council tax band down to MSOA level.

The map below was created to show the average age of properties at MSOA level.

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To obtain a mortgage, first-time homebuyers in the United Kingdom (UK) need to save a deposit amounting to about 19 percent of the property purchase price. The higher the property value and the loan amount, the higher the deposit. In 2023, the average first-time buyer deposit in the UK was about 53,414 British pounds, but in the most expensive region, Greater London, the deposit amount was more than double. The share of the deposit was also much higher than in other regions in the UK. How has the house price for first-time buyers changed over time? Housing bought by first-time buyers has become increasingly more expensive since 2000, making it harder for renters to get on the property ladder. By 2023, the average house price had tripled. The price also varied in different regions, with the North East being the least expensive and Greater London – the priciest. Which are the most affordable areas for first-time buyers? While housing in certain areas can be pricy, this does not necessarily make it unaffordable, as the standard of living may also be higher. In 2021, the most affordable towns for first-time buyers were found in the North West region (Burnley) and Scotland (East Ayshire, North Ayshire, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire).

Starts and completions of new build dwellings in the UK, on a quarterly and annual basis, time series data

Summary statistics for housing transactions by local authority in England and Wales, on an annual basis, updated quarterly using HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Select values from the Year and Month dimensions for data for a 12-month period ending that month and year (e.g. selecting June and 2018 will return the twelve months to June 2018).

The average number of years care home residents aged 65 years and over are expected to live beyond their current age in England and Wales. Classified as Experimental Statistics.

Legacy unique identifier: P00768

Median energy efficiency score of dwellings in England and Wales, by property type, tenure, property age and whether new or existing.

In 2022, house price growth in the UK slowed, after a period of decade-long increase. Nevertheless, in August 2024, prices reached a new peak, with the average home costing close to 290,000 British pounds. That figure refers to all property types, including detached, semi-detached, terraced houses, and flats and maisonettes. Compared to other European countries, the UK had some of the highest house prices. How have UK house prices increased over the last 10 years? Property prices have risen dramatically over the past decade. According to the UK house price index, the average house price has grown by over 50 percent since 2015. This price development has led to the gap between the cost of buying and renting a property to close. In 2023, buying a three-bedroom house in the UK was no longer more affordable than renting one. Consequently, Brits have become more likely to rent longer and push off making a house purchase until they have saved up enough for a down payment and achieved the financial stability required to make the step. What caused the decline in house prices in 2022? House prices are affected by multiple factors, such as mortgage rates, supply, and demand on the market. For nearly a decade, the UK experienced uninterrupted house price growth as a result of strong demand and a chronic undersupply. Homebuyers who purchased a property at the peak of the housing boom in July 2022 paid 14 percent more compared to what they would have paid a year before. Additionally, 2022 saw the most dramatic increase in mortgage rates in recent history. Between December 2021 and December 2022, the 10-year fixed mortgage rate doubled, adding further strain to prospective homebuyers. As a result, the market cooled, leading to a correction in pricing.

CO2 emissions of dwellings in England and Wales, by property type, tenure, property age and whether new or existing.

Total number of young adults aged 15 to 34 years and total number of young adults aged 20 to 34 years in the UK living with their parents.