First-time buyers still heavily dependent on family support

May 18, 2025 by Heidi

Property Market

People who are trying to buy for the first time have a consistent advantage if they can depend on support from their families, according to the latest report to be published.

This study by UK Finance lays bare the extent of the difference made by familial help when it comes to the property market. First-time buyers who are able to call on it manage to buy homes earlier and afford more expensive homes, on average. What makes those findings even more striking is that buyers without family help are earning higher average incomes. Their average is £65,000, while for buyers with family help it is £56,000.

The main reason why buyers in the latter category are still able to buy larger and more expensive properties is because family help enables them to afford the deposit costs. That situation applies in every region of the country, but it is particularly noticeable in London.

For that city, buyers without family help are paying an average deposit of around £150,000. By contrast, for those who are getting help from their families, it rises to almost £225,000.

The findings also reveal an age difference between the two types of first-time buyer. Those supported by their families buy a home at the average age of 30, whereas it rises to around 32 for those who are not.

James Tatch from UK Finance argued that any attempt to tackle the problem must factor in both affordability and housing supply.

This is why many advisors with CeMAP training are guiding first-time buyers towards specialist lenders.