Only 14% of largest towns and cities are affordable to single income buyers

New research by Apil Mortgages has found that only 14% of the UK’s 100 largest towns and cities are affordable to single-income buyers.

Buying an average home in 16 of the UK’s 100 largest towns and cities requires a deposit of more than £200,000 for a mortgage applicant earning an average salary.

In more than half (52%) of these towns and cities[2], a borrower earning an average wage would need a deposit of more than £100,000, to buy an average priced property.

In St Albans average house prices have soared to £591,000, a buyer with an average salary of £41,000 would need £406,000 deposit.

In Guildford – a popular London commuter town where an average property costs more than £500,000 – an average earner, based on a typical lending limit of 4.5 times salary, would need to put down at least £314,000 to purchase an average home.

With lenders generally capping loans at 4.5 times income, single buyers are left facing huge deposit requirements, making homeownership increasingly out of reach. And for a home buyer looking to put down a standard 10% deposit, buying an average priced property would be out of reach in the majority of the UK’s largest urban areas.

In only 14 of the UK’s 100 largest towns and cities could someone on an average salary afford an average home with a 10% deposit and a maximum 4.5 times income mortgage.

Among them are Blackburn (Average house price: £158,293, Average wage: £33,561), Darlington (£162,519 £33,008) and Sunderland (£149,590 £33,883) – highlighting the stark affordability gap across much of the country.

While couples fare better than single buyers, affordability remains a major challenge in many southern cities like London, Bath, Oxford, and Cambridge. Even with two average salaries, they would still need a deposit of over £80,000 to purchase an average-priced home in these cities.

However, in other parts of the country, the combined income of joint applicants allows them to afford a home with a 10% deposit in 86 out of the 100 towns and cities analysed[5].

Mark Eaton, COO at April Mortgages, said “The speed at which house prices are rising is leaving many prospective buyers unable to afford a home. House prices have soared over the last 20 to 30 years and are estimated to be worth over nine times the average household income.

“Borrowers on lower or average salaries are facing an almighty battle to save a large enough deposit to climb onto the property ladder. This issue is being compounded by banks and building societies’ strict lending criteria and tough affordability tests.

“While these measures have been put in place to protect borrowers, they are now having a punitive effect on those who are in most need of support.To address the current mortgage affordability crisis, the industry needs to wake-up to new ways of thinking. Longer-term lending is one solution that can lead to improved affordability for borrowers who may otherwise be unable to achieve their home ownership dream.”

 

Most unaffordable towns and cities* to buy an average home in the UK as a single mortgage applicant.

	Location	Average house price	Average local income	Mortgage value (4.5x income)	Deposit required
1	St Albans	£590,764	£41,064	£184,790	£405,974
2	Guildford	£512,353	£44,044	£198,198	£314,155
3	Cambridge	£502,807	£43,191	£194,360	£308,447
4	Hemel Hempstead	£470,497	£37,253	£167,638	£302,859
5	London	£511,279	£47,086	£211,887	£299,392
6	Oxford	£474,987	£40,872	£183,924	£291,063
7	Woking	£453,323	£41,413	£186,358	£266,965
8	Brighton & Hove	£432,607	£37,679	£169,556	£263,051
9	Bath	£431,155	£37,398	£168,293	£262,862
10	Watford	£401,532	£39,551	£177,980	£223,552