Average first-time buyer age rises by two years as nation taking longer to get on the property ladder
- The average age of a first-time buyer in the UK is 33 – two years older than in 2015
- Just over two in five (43%) are yet to get on the property ladder
- Only around a quarter (27%) of under-25s have managed to buy a home
The average age of a first-time buyer has risen by two years in the space of a decade according to the latest research by Go.Compare home insurance.[1]
The comparison site analysed official government data which showed that the average age of a first-time buyer in 2024 (the latest available) was 33 – two years older than in 2015. This is also one year older than the average age at the start of the current decade, suggesting that it’s now taking house hunters longer to make it onto the property ladder.
The analysis showed that the average first-time buyer age was last at 33 just over 20 years ago, in 2004, and also in 1990, indicating limited progress over the last three decades. A survey by Go.Compare also found that just over two in five (43%) UK adults are yet to buy their own home, and that only around a quarter (27%) of under 25s own a property.[2]
As well as this, the survey suggested that first-time buyers may be becoming more reliant on new builds to get onto the property ladder compared to previous generations. Homeowners under 35 are more likely to have bought a new build as their first property, with almost half (45%) of this age group saying this compared to just 15% of over 55s.
Just over a third of under 35s (34%) said this decision was driven by convenience/availability, while around a quarter (26%) mentioned it was due to cheaper buying costs. However, the main reasons overall were that they thought new builds would have fewer issues (picked by just over half – 51%) and that they’d be able to make savings in the long term due to lower maintenance costs and better energy efficiency (picked by 42%).
Nathan Blackler, home insurance spokesperson at Go.Compare, said: “It’s clear from these figures that it’s now taking Brits longer to get onto the property ladder than it was a few years ago. This is likely down to a combination of the country’s unrelenting high house prices, along with buyers having less disposable income to put towards a house deposit due to a rise in living costs.
“In fact, some of our recent research found that many Brits are giving up on the possibility of home ownership,[2] with only one industry paying an average salary high enough to cover the average house price.[3]
“Although buying your first property may take longer than it would’ve 10 years ago, it’s important not to give up on it completely. Remember that there are ways to minimise your expenses and boost your prospects, especially if you’re able to stay disciplined and stick to your budget.
“With costs remaining high across the board, regularly comparing prices for things like your energy bills and home insurance will help you stay on a cheaper rate. Meanwhile, utilising budgeting apps could help you find areas to cut your spending, like subscription services you aren’t using anymore. Small changes like this can make a big difference over time.”
More statistics can be found on Go.Compare’s website.
//ENDS//
Contact Information
Alex McCormick
Notes to editors
[1] This data was collected from the house price index from gov.uk.
[2] Sourced from a survey conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Go.Compare, among a sample of 2,000 UK Nationally Representative Consumers aged 18+. The data was collected between 08 January 2026 to 12 January 2026.
Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.
[3] Based on house prices taken from HM Land Registry UK House Price Index: December 2025. Monthly repayments were calculated based on the 90% mortgage with a 4.26% interest rate over 25 years. Retrieved: February 2026.
The average salary needed to buy (£56,476) was calculated assuming that monthly mortgage repayments should take up no more than 28% of your gross earnings (based on the HomeOwners Alliance). This was applied to the average UK house price (£270,000, as above).
The average salary needed to buy was then compared to average salaries by industry sourced from the ONS dataset: 2025 Earnings and hours worked, UK region by industry by two-digit SIC.
For further information please contact:
Front Door Communications at go.compare@fdcomms.co.uk
Keep up to date with Go.Compare on Twitter: @GoCompare or you can call 02920 020360
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.