The harsh reality for first-time buyers

FIRST TIME BUYERS STRUGGLE TO GET SET UP • 68 per cent have had to sleep on a mattress on the floor 61 per cent have stored their clothes on a temporary clothes rail It takes first time buyers 46 weeks to fully furnish their home on average FIRST TIME buyers are struggling through the first few months of home ownership without essential items of furniture and appliances - and turning to unusual ways to make do, according to new research.

A study of 1,007 first time buyers carried out by interiors etailer Furniture123.co.uk, found 68 per cent have had to temporarily sleep on a mattress on the floor in the absence of a bed.

Meanwhile 61 per cent have stored their clothes on a temporary clothes rail as they didn’t have a wardrobe, while 65 per cent have balanced their TV on items like boxes, other than a media cabinet.

And more than half, 53 per cent, of respondents have resorted to a cool box for chilled items in place of a fridge.

Despite this, just 21 per cent claim to have gone more than two weeks without Wi- Fi, and less than 1 in 10, eight per cent, have gone without a TV set-up - suggesting many are putting connectivity first before comfort.

Sixty two per cent of those who found themselves in these situations said this was due to a lack of funds and the rising costs of getting on the property ladder, while 1 in 4 - 27 per cent - said it was because of poor planning and they were waiting for items to arrive.

Mark Kelly, marketing manager at Furniture123.co.uk, said: ‘It’s alarming but perhaps not entirely unsurprising to read how many first time buyers are living without the basic furniture essentials when they first buy a home.

‘Many are focussing so much on just actually getting the money together for the property they want that they are forgetting that there are some essential items that they will struggle to live comfortably without.

‘Our advice to first time buyers would be to create a list of everything they need and the priority in which they need those pieces of furniture. When cash-flow is an issue during the first few months of mortgage payments, finance options are available to help homeowners spread the cost over several months.’

On average, it takes first time buyers 46 weeks or 11.5 months to fully furnish their home. co.uk.