Concerns around the leasehold system, stamp duty, and the buying and selling process have risen fastest over the past decade, contributing to a worsening picture for homebuyers and aspiring first time buyers, according to a new report.
The HomeOwners Alliance research, which has been tracking UK housing concerns for the past 10 years, issues that were significant in 2015 continue to plague the market in 2025.
However, the analysis highlights a sharp increase in the proportion of UK adults rating specific issues as very or somewhat serious problems between 2015 and 2025.
+ The leasehold system saw the largest increase in concern, rising by 22 percentage points from 42% in 2015 to 64% in 2025.
+ Stamp duty rates have become a significantly larger worry, with 64% rating it as a serious problem in 2025 compared to 51% in 2015 (+13 percentage points).
+ The home buying and selling process is also a growing concern, rated as very/somewhat serious by 60% in 2025, up 9 percentage points from 51% in 2015.
While these issues have seen the sharpest increases, the long-standing top concerns remain in 2025.The ability of first-time buyers to get on the housing ladder (81%), house prices (81%), saving for a deposit (79%), the availability of housing (75%) and the quality of housing (65%), still top the list of major problems for UK adults, just as they did in 2015.
The situation is particularly bleak for aspiring first-time buyers as demonstrated by the aspiration to own a home, which has fallen to its lowest level in over 10 years. Only 64% of non-homeowners now aspire to own, down from 71% last year and below the 2013 figure of 65%.
Aspiring first time buyers’ concerns mirror the national average but are often more acute regarding house prices (88% vs 81% of UK adults), availability of housing (87% vs 75%) and the ability to get a mortgage (77% vs 65%).
A significant 42% of aspiring homeowners believe now is a bad time to buy a home; considerably higher than the 31% of UK adults who feel the same. Financial issues are cited as the main barriers to getting on the ladder by 82% of aspiring homeowners, including the cost of living, mortgage costs, economic uncertainty, and the rising cost of stamp duty.
Regionally, Wales and Scotland show elevated concerns for some issues compared to the UK average.
+ In Wales, negative equity (63% vs 47%), stamp duty (72% vs 64%), and the ability of first-time buyers to get on the ladder (90% vs 81%) are more likely to be serious problems.
+ In Scotland, the availability of housing is a greater concern (82% vs 72%).
+ The South of England was relatively more concerned about the leasehold and freehold system than the UK overall (70% vs 64%).
Paula Higgins, chief executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, said: “These figures should ring alarm bells in government. It’s unacceptable that Brits wanting to buy a home continue to be stumped by not enough homes and sky high house prices. And if those perennial barriers weren’t bad enough, homebuyers also have to navigate the complex and uncertain leasehold landscape. Despite government’s leasehold reforms, whether recently passed into law, pending or promised, action has been slow and frustration is growing – particularly among leaseholders trapped in homes they have little control over.
“Stamp duty continues to be a major block on movement for families up and down the country. While some reforms have rightly targeted investors and second homeowners, this upfront tax remains a huge financial barrier to everyday homeowners. It discourages them from moving and penalises first-time buyers, who have seen their tax-free thresholds cut.
“And the buying and selling process in England and Wales is a well-known joke. In a world where almost everything can be done efficiently online, it’s frankly ridiculous that buying a home is taking longer than ever. According to TwentyCi, the average time to buy a property in 2024 was 122 days – up from 94 days just ten years ago. That’s a 30% increase, and a clear sign the system needs urgent modernisation.”
On the concerns raised by first-time buyers, Higgins added: “Hearing from first time buyers everyday here at the HomeOwners Alliance we knew that for many people the prospects of homeownership was bleak, but to discover that aspiration to own is at its lowest level for over a decade – with just 64% now saying they want to own, down from 71% last year and even lower than in 2013 – is a shock. The dream of homeownership is slipping further out of reach and fading fast for an entire generation.”
Read the orginal article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/britains-housing-crisis-deepens-new-report-shows/
