Make way BoMaD – Bank of Gran and Grandad boosts FTB deposit funds

Older homeowners gifted an average of £42,500 to younger relatives to help them get on the property ladder in 2020, new data analysis from Key has revealed.

With raising sufficient money for a deposit often the biggest hurdle for homeownership, grandparents gifted almost two-thirds of the average first-time buyer (FTB) deposit last year (£57,278).

This figure will have gone even further than before due to the stamp duty holiday announced in July 2020.

Bank of Gran and Granddad trends across the UK

Older homeowners in London (£102,826), the South East (£61,500) and Wales (£44,200) were the most generous while those in the North West (£23,467) and Yorkshire (£25,217) were less so.

However, more modest house prices in these regions meant that first-time buyers still benefitted from 76% of the average deposit needed in Yorkshire (£33,313) and 67% of the average deposit required in the North West (£34,347).

Interestingly in four areas – Wales, the East Midlands, Northern Ireland and the North East – the average gift from property wealth was higher than the average needed by a first-time buyer. This suggests that buyers in these regions relied on family funding to put down a larger deposit, purchase a more expensive property or undertake renovations.

Helping family is a major motivation

According to Key’s findings, helping younger family members is a major motivation for equity release customers, with £755 million of the £3.4 billion in property wealth released last year used for gifting.

The stamp duty holiday on all purchases up to £500,000, which is set to be extended for a few months, was a major driver with 43% of these gifts used for housing deposits and 26% for an early inheritance – some of which was possibly used for other types of property costs.

Will Hale, chief executive officer at Key, comments: “Finding almost £60,000 to use as a deposit for your first home is tough – especially in the current economic environment – and therefore it’s not surprising that many younger people have looked to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday. 

“In 2020, older homeowners released almost £755 million of equity in order to help younger members of their family meet a range of costs including supporting them with an average of £42,500 to use for a house deposit.”

Hale says that for many people these gifts will have been the enabler to them buying their first home. He adds that it is a prime example of how the transfer of intergenerational wealth can have positive societal benefits.

“The stamp duty holiday has certainly been a catalyst for more activity in this area but helping family is always a major motivation for older homeowners exploring their equity release options,” he adds.