Cost of property deposits across England and Wales increases by £6,000
July 4, 2017- Average property deposits across England and Wales increase by c. £6,000 year-on-year (Q1 2016 vs. Q1 2017) to £59,633
- Wales recording the largest average deposit percentage in Q1 2017 of 36.6% (an increase from 22.9%)
- North East and North West still remain the ‘cheapest’ deposit regions, with London and South East the most ‘expensive’.
The average deposit paid for a property in England and Wales increased by c. £6,000 year-on-year, despite deposit sizes as a proportion of the purchase price falling by an average of 0.21% across the country, research by My Home Move has found.
The research, which compared the deposit sizes for the first three months of 2016 and 2017 against average property prices, discovered that home buyers across the country were securing their new homes with an average deposit of £59,633, up from £52,783 in Q1 2016.*
Commenting on these findings, Doug Crawford, CEO of My Home Move said,
“Despite the decrease in deposit percentages across England and Wales, the rise in house prices between 2016 and 2017 has resulted in the average deposit price increasing by £6,000.
“For many, this amount will have been funded from the equity increase in the home they are selling. However, for first-time buyers and those whose homes haven’t increased in value as quickly as the one they want to purchase, the need for additional funding suddenly becomes very real; and can be evidenced in the rate of deposits being gifted by friends and family to second steppers.”
Regional findings
Deposit sizes across Greater London fell by 1.2% year-on-year to 25.77%, meaning that home movers in Q1 2017 required an average deposit of £123,347 (compared to £124,085 Q1 2016), for a home worth around £478,673.
Commenting further, Doug Crawford said, “Despite property prices increasing across Greater London by £18,000, between 2016 and 2017 (Q1), average deposit values actually fell by c.£738 – suggesting that movers became savvy to mortgage products available, including higher LTV offers and record low mortgage rates.”
The research also showed that despite a national decrease in deposit sizes, the South East, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside bucked the trend, with deposits increasing across the board. The largest figure was recorded in Wales as the average deposit jumped from 22.92% to 36.66% over the 12 months – the equivalent of £21,141 increase.
For the second year in a row, the North East and North West saw the lowest amount required for a deposit in terms of pounds sterling, while London and South East the most.*
* Data is available upon request