Millions of people unable to get on property ladder

September 2, 2025 by Brendan O'Neill

House Prices

News

Property Market

The latest analysis indicates that millions of people in the UK have lost out on the opportunity of buying a home during the past decade and a half, with the financial crisis of 2008 being to blame.

This analysis was produced by Pepper Money, a specialist mortgage lender. What it shows is that if market trends before the crisis had carried on in the same way, over 3 million more people would have been able to buy a home. The research has been given the title ‘Shared Ownership – A Vital Bridge to the Housing Market’.

Pepper Money commissioned it, while the work was done by Rob Thomas, an economist. The driving purpose of the research was to look at shared ownership and whether it represents a way for people to get onto the property ladder, at a time when affordability is still a major issue.

It looks in detail at the ways in which shared ownership mortgages are impacting the property market. The data that it analyses is taken from a range of sources, which include the Financial Conduct Authority, the Land Registry, UK Finance and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The Pepper Money intermediary relationship director is Rob Barnard. He spoke to Mortgage Introducer, saying:

“House prices have soared, wages haven’t kept pace, and the cost of renting makes saving for a deposit harder than ever. That’s where shared ownership comes in, and we believe this should be an option for more people.”

This is something many with CeMAP mortgage advisor training would likely agree on.