Overview

• Assisted first-time buyers in the UK purchase homes at an average age of 30, compared to 32.5 for unassisted buyers, according to UK Finance data.
• Family financial support enables assisted buyers to afford homes priced nearly £40,000 higher on average than those purchased by unassisted buyers (£317,846 vs £279,381).
• The average deposit for assisted buyers is nearly double that of unassisted buyers, at £118,073 versus £60,741.
• Despite having lower average household incomes, assisted buyers access higher-value properties due to larger family-funded deposits.
• Experts warn that the growing reliance on family support risks deepening inequality in the housing market, as recent base rate cuts may further benefit assisted buyers.