Over half of all first‑time buyers (53%) receive direct financial support from family members to help them get onto the property ladder, according to the latest research from real estate advisor, Savills.
Overall, gifts and loans from family members totalled £8.3billion in 2025, rising to £11billion when inheritance is included.
Savills’ research, conducted with Insight Advantage, highlights the reliance on family wealth among first-time buyers. While over six in ten (64%) draw on their own savings to some degree, more than half rely on support from family through gifts, loans, or inheritance.
Outright gifts remain the most common form of support, with twice as many buyers receiving them as those who benefit from family loans (32% vs. 16%). However, support is not limited to parents alone. Almost half of those receiving gifts or loans are benefiting from contributions from other family members.
Inheritance also plays a significant role, with the research revealing that 14% of first-time buyers are drawing on inherited wealth, slightly more than the proportion making use of government home buying schemes (12%).
Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills, said: “First-time buyers continue to feel the impact of higher mortgage rates, which has stretched affordability and kept the average deposit high and maintained a reliance on the so-called Bank of Mum and Dad.”
“While first-time buyer activity held up better than expected in the early part of the year, the outlook remains challenging in the current interest rate environment.”
“Less stringent mortgage regulation and gradual easing of rates over time should help to broaden access to home ownership to a degree. While that will pave the way for more lower deposit mortgages, it’s clear that family support will remain a crucial component of getting first-time buyers on the housing ladder.”
The average first-time buyer uses £24,261 of their own savings to purchase a home, Savills found, which accounts for 44% of the average first-time buyer deposit, with the remainder coming from a variety of sources.
The survey also found that younger first-time buyers are significantly more reliant on financial support to access the housing ladder. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of those aged 20–24 receive some form of assistance, falling to 44% of buyers aged 45 and over.
