Young Brits ‘willing to co-buy to own home’

More than one in seven young Britons (14%) would be willing to buy a house with a total stranger in a desperate bid to get on the property ladder, according to nationwide research.

A new study of 2,000 people aged 18-40 by HSBC has revealed the true extent to which buying a property now feels completely out of reach for the younger generation, with a staggering 83% claiming they will probably never be able to afford to buy their own property.

According to the report, 80% would co-own and share a property with someone who is not their partner, with a further 59% saying they’re “open to the idea” of buying with a stranger if they ticked all the boxes.

As a result of the findings, HSBC is running a unique speed-dating style event tomorrow – National Singles Awareness Day – to bring together people interested in meeting someone they could potentially co-buy with.

A desperate 4% said they would be prepared to move in with “a mate from the pub”, while just under one in 20 are so desperate to get on the property ladder, they would even be prepared to buy with an ex-partner.

And the study revealed modern Brits have a clear idea of the top traits the perfect housemate should have, with “odour-free” and “clean and tidy” in the top five. The list of attributes also includes being able to cook a cracking roast.