‘Our generation is very flexible in movement around globe’
Student Kirsty Johnston, 21, from Glasgow, is in her third year studying civil engineering at the University of Strathclyde. She rents a two-bedroom flat in the city centre.
She said: “I don’t see myself buying a property in the future because the idea of being tied to one place disinterests me, as does the idea of investing in a property to have it’s value reduce in the future. The housing market seems far more risky a gamble in the present day. Watching the house prices of Aberdeen, the nearest city to my hometown of Stonehaven, crash with the oil economy showed me how fragile the worth of a building can be, and how buying isn’t always a stability in finance.
“Being a renter provides me with flexibility. I feel like our generation is very flexible in movement around the globe and more keen to travel for work, with the internet providing easy ways to communicate to families. Being tied to one property, which takes away the ability to travel for work, partners or choice just doesn’t appeal to me at all.
“If there is a problem with my property, I simply tell my landlord and the problems (and cost) are covered by them. Factors such as burst pipes, broken boilers or general maintenance are not a worry for to me if they occur, and it helps reduce stress to not have to handle the arrangement of fixing these.
“For a lot of my generation graduating and starting our first jobs, the idea of buying a house is so far in our financial future it seems unreachable.”