Swipe right if you are single and want a home: How “Generation Tinder” got locked out of home ownership
Being single has its perks: no fights over the duvet or spending your weekends with the in-laws.
But when it comes to buying a home, getting a foot onto the ladder without the combined savings of a couple can be a near impossible feat.
Only 15 per cent of singles aged under-35 in London own their home, compared to nearly 40 per cent of couples, according to new figures released today by the National Housing Federation (NHF).
Read More: Home ownership is becoming a pipe dream for younger workers
The affordable housing trade body used the government's 2013/14 English Housing Survey to compare the percentage of Londoners owning with those renting across different age groups and household types in terms of number of adults.
Although the percentage of single adults that own property compared with couples narrows with age, couples still take the lead at 42 per cent of those aged between 35 and 44 years-old compared with 32 per cent for singles.
The NHF released the figures as part of a campaign urging London’s next mayor for support delivering 100,000 affordable homes over the next four years.
A recent report by the group showed Londoners need a 266 per cent pay rise to be able to afford a mortgage on a home in the capital, with an income at least £100,000 is needed to buy an average property in half of all London boroughs.
It warns that with people marrying later and renting or buying solo untenable options for most, the so-called Tinder generation risk being trapped in student-style flatshares for life.
NHF chief executive, David Orr, said: “Thirty-something adults shouldn’t have to choose between hutching up like students and getting married, they should be able to invest in their own futures in an affordable home. Our campaign, 100,000 Affordable Homes for London, shows the next mayor how to make this a reality for Londoners, and allow ‘Generation Tinder’ to buy homes of their own.”