Woman who's saved £50,000 still can't buy a house
At this point, the property ladder for many young people seems to be getting further and further out of reach – just to grab onto the first rung.
And one woman has saved up a lot of pennies but it still isn’t enough.
Mortgage rates are currently at their highest since the financial crash all the way back in 2008 and rent costs just seems to keep on rocketing.
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Freya, has saved up a whopping £50,000 and yet says to the BBC: “But I still can’t buy a house.”
Only 24-years-old, she works in a well-paid role as a scientific content creator for an educational games company.
Sure, Freya’s had some support from her family to help get her own deposit for a house but the current situation still left her throwing almost half her salary just on renting.
With mortgage rates seemingly sky high, a standard five-ear fixed mortgage deal currently has an interest rate over six per cent.
And not only are the actual number of homes available down, but the Bank of England has warned us that mortgage payments are going to rise by at least a hefty £500 a month for nearly one million households by the end of 2026.
Freya tells the BBC: “My salary isn't enough to cover the threshold to get a mortgage of £200,000," she said.
"I was told by previous generations 'get a good degree and the rest will sort itself' but it hasn't.
"Although I work full time I can't earn enough. I don't drink, I don't go out to eat more than once a month, normally for a friend's birthday.”
Clearly a hard worker, Freya drops £775 a month on rent for her one-bedroom flat in the Welsh capital – and that doesn’t even cover her bills.
And it’s no secret that energy costs have been an absolute nightmare for most of us this past year.
The woman adds: “I wouldn't mind renting if it wasn't so expensive for a property that often comes with a huge amount of issues."
Having had her fair share of nightmare situations, Freya’s found properties in Cardiff to be of a low quality. Literally one of her past places had a collapsed ceiling meaning she couldn’t even sleep it was that cold.
She says: “I think young people are disheartened. How can we save for the future when we can't save enough to beat the price hump from renting to owning?"
Jess Battison