Two-thirds of FTBs rely on living at home to get on property ladder
Some 63% of first-time buyers who purchased a home in 2025 relied on living rent-free with family at some stage to help save for a deposit, according to Savills’ research.
Dubbed the ‘Hotel of Mum and Dad’, Savills said it provided the equivalent of £7.6bn in rent-free accommodation to first-time buyers who bought a home in 2025.
Savills’ latest survey, conducted in collaboration with Insight Advantage, found that 27% of buyers had lived at home rent-free for five years or more. On average, first-time buyers spent three years and seven months living with family before making their purchase.
In London, where affordability pressures are most acute, 71% of first-time buyers said they had benefitted from living at home rent-free while building their savings.
The research underlined the extent to which family support has become a key factor in helping buyers overcome the rising costs of homeownership, averaging at £10,000 for some.
Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills, said: “For many first-time buyers, the ability to live at home rent free has become one of the most important forms of family support in the journey to homeownership”.
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He continued: “While attention often focuses on direct financial gifts, the value of reduced housing costs over several years of living with family can be just as significant in helping buyers build a deposit.
“Our research shows just how heavily first-time buyers are relying on this support, particularly in higher-value markets such as London, where affordability remains stretched. The significant scale of the ‘Hotel of Mum and Dad’ highlights the extent to which affordability constraints continue to shape the path to homeownership, especially for younger buyers trying to save while facing high rents and wider cost-of-living pressures.”
