Propertymark has called for wider reform of England’s housing market to help more buyers onto the property ladder.
High prices, large deposits and a weak development pipeline continue to limit access for first-time buyers, according to Propertymark.
They also make it harder for existing homeowners to move. Propertymark said new planning rules could help, but that wider action is needed across housebuilding and the buying and selling process.
A House of Lords Library briefing, published on 14 August 2026, found that home ownership has remained broadly flat in recent years. The proportion of owner-occupiers is still below its 2003 peak. Ownership fell sharply after the financial crisis before recovering slightly.
Nationwide data cited in the briefing showed first-time buyer activity was 20% higher in 2025 than in 2024. However, first-time buyers are getting older. The average age rose from 31.4 in 2003/04 to almost 34 in 2024/25.
Affordability remains a major barrier. In 1999, the average home in England cost 3.96 times average earnings. This rose to 9.06 times earnings in 2021. It fell to 7.63 in 2025 as earnings grew faster than house prices.
There are also large regional differences. An average-priced home costs around five times average earnings in the North East. In London, the figure is 10.6 times earnings.
Deposits are another barrier. The median first-time buyer deposit was £36,500 in 2024–25. Almost a third of buyers, 31%, received help from family or friends. A further 6% used inheritance funds.
Housing delivery is also below the level needed. The Government has committed to delivering 1.5 million homes during the current Parliament. That requires around 300,000 additional homes each year. An estimated 199,500 net additional homes were delivered in England during 2025–26.
Where homes are built also matters. Between 1996 and 2021, the number of homes broadly kept pace with growth in the adult population. But development did not always happen where demand was highest. This was particularly the case in London and other high-cost areas.
A revised National Planning Policy Framework came into force on 17 August. It creates a default ‘yes’ for suitable housing within reasonable walking distance of well-connected train, tram and underground stations. It also sets minimum expectations for housing density in these locations.
The changes aim to make better use of underdeveloped land. They are also designed to speed up planning decisions. However, planning reform alone will not guarantee that homes are built or that developments meet local needs.
The Home Builders Federation’s latest Housing Pipeline Report found that just over 54,000 homes received planning permission in England in the first quarter of 2026. Only 1,220 private housing sites were approved. This was the lowest quarterly figure since records began in 2006. It was also 17% lower than a year earlier.
Propertymark is calling for more local authority housebuilding and greater support for small and medium-sized developers. It also wants more investment in construction skills and reviews of sites where development has not started. Local Plans should also be based on evidence of local housing need.
Propertymark said the buying and selling process must also improve. It wants greater use of upfront property information, digital identity checks, real-time data sharing and standardised processes.
The organisation has also highlighted leasehold as a barrier. Its research found that 93% of surveyed leaseholders would not buy a leasehold property again. More than 78% of estate agents had removed at least one leasehold property from the market in the previous two years because it was unsellable.
Propertymark said increasing housing supply alone will not solve the problem. Planning, affordability, infrastructure and the buying and selling process must all improve if home ownership is to become more accessible.
