First time buyer borrowing jumps a third in 2025
Borrowing by first time buyers has increased by just under a third year on year as access to finance loosened and Brits rushed to get on the housing ladder.
Mortgage lenders forwarded a record £82.8bn of mortgage debt to 390,000 first time buyers in the year to September 2025, according to analysis by Savills, a 30 per cent increase year on year.
The total value of the housing market, meanwhile, increased by 14 per cent to £417bn in the year to September.
Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills, said the increase in borrowing “partly reflects the rush to get things through prior to the end of the stamp duty holiday earlier in the year”.
On 31 March, the nil rate threshold for first time buyers, which had been currently £425,000, will return to its previous level of £300,000.
It caused a significant rise in property transactions at the start of year, with mortgage applications up around 130 per cent.
Homes become more accessible
Equally, a spate of policy changes this year, including revised Financial Conduct Authority guidance of interpretation of mortgage regulation, gave banks room to lend more money to applicants.
“Homeownership is more accessible now than at any point in the last three years, thanks to lower borrowing costs, lower real house prices, and more accessible mortgage debt,” Cook said.
Momentum is expected to continue into 2026 thanks due further interest rate drops, which will cut mortgage rates.
Equally, a shortage of properties to rent – and ever-rising housing costs for renters – are set to push more first-time buyers onto the ladder as they look to escape miserable monthly payments.
“Meanwhile, existing mortgage holders seeking to move home are also expected to become gradually more active, with falling rates enabling them to take on slightly larger loans and increase their budgets,” Cook said.