Business · 1 hour ago

Most First-Time Buyers Now Pay More on Mortgages Than Rent

More than half of UK first-time buyers now pay more each month on their mortgage than they did in rent, according to estate agent Hamptons. The 56% figure for September is the highest in at least a decade, driven by mortgage rates climbing since the Iran war began. Buyers in their 40s saw the sharpest jump, while newly agreed rents rose 2.7% over the year.

By BriefTea Editorial · 19 October 2026 at 10:33

Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs

Get the app

Understand this story

What is a first-time buyer?

More briefs

BusinessCarrefour Says 50 Stores Hit as French Retailers Count Riot Losses BusinessProfit Warnings From UK-Listed Firms Hit Two-Year High BusinessMicrosoft drops out of UK's biggest AI data centre in Essex TechnologyAnthropic Pledges 5% of Its Shares to Public Benefit Fund BusinessChina's Economy Grows 4.5% as AI Exports Boom BusinessUK Steelmakers Pay £30 More for Power Than French Rivals More business stories → Browse all stories →