The average deposit for a property in the UK has climbed to more than £80,000 by the end of 2015.
House prices in Britain went up by 9% over the year, to an average of £231,487.
Property price increases have continued to outstrip growth in wages.
As a result of these forces, home buyers made larger deposits to secure their mortgages, with the average hitting a record high of £81,721.
Compared to 2014, this was a 15% increase and the highest amount since the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) started tracking the payments.
At the same time, average incomes fell by nearly 3% to £38,820.
Buyers were, however, assisted by low interest rates.
“An inevitable repercussion of rising house prices is that higher deposits are required. Those who cannot afford to put up more may find their choice of properties limited,” said Brian Murphy from the MAB.
He went on to forecast that property prices were likely to keep on going up.
“Demand in the housing market is yet to come off the boil, despite the current dearth in property supply. As a result, house prices are likely to continue rising this year, bringing about affordability concerns which will particularly affect first-time buyers.
"A significant boost to the construction of new homes is needed to prevent some buyers being priced out of the property market.”
Comments