Santander has revealed a striking trend in the UK housing market: first-time buyers (FTBs) are increasingly older, with one in five now aged over 40—up from 18% in 2024 to 22% in 2025. The oldest first-time buyer supported by Santander this year was 70, compared to 67 in 2024. Meanwhile, the share of buyers aged 25 and under has plummeted by nearly a quarter (23%) over the same period.
Industry experts warn this shift underscores a fundamental problem with the UK property market. Andrew Montlake, CEO of Coreco, stated, “That more than one in five first-time buyers is now over 40 is clear evidence the system is broken. The solution is straightforward: build more homes.”
Montlake highlighted that the chronic shortage of new housing is driving prices upward, locking potential buyers out of the market for years, if not decades. Rising inflation and soaring rents further diminish the ability to save for deposits. He urged the establishment of a long-term, cross-party housing strategy led by an experienced industry housing tsar to tackle the crisis adequately.
READ MORE: UK Homeowner Ordered to Demolish £170,000 Garden Extension Following Planning Dispute
READ MORE: Dramatic Edgbaston Stadium Transformation Takes Major Leap Forward
Omer Mehmet, managing director at Trinity Finance, emphasized the uphill battle faced by first-time buyers: “The fact that people have to wait so long to get their first keys should serve as a warning to all governments. We need large-scale, rapid homebuilding urgently.”
Mortgage specialist Katy Eatenton of Lifetime Wealth Management echoed these concerns, pointing to inadequate housing supply as the root cause of relentless price increases that shatter homeowning dreams.
Riz Malik, director at R3 Wealth, observed a two-decade trend of rising age among first-time buyers, mostly reliant on parental support. Despite improved borrowing conditions, high house prices relative to incomes persist, leaving large-scale homebuilding as the only viable solution.
Emma Jones, managing director of Whenthebanksaysno.co.uk, described the findings as a “damning indictment” of successive governments that have failed to build sufficient homes to solve the crisis. She warns that without action, access to homeownership will continue shrinking even as lenders innovate to help buyers enter the market.
This data starkly exposes the persistent structural failure in the UK’s housing sector. Until significant and sustained construction of affordable homes occurs, the challenge of becoming a first-time buyer will only become more daunting.