"The standard monthly mortgage repayments would make you approximately £100 a month better off than paying the typical £625 rent."
People who have bought their first home within the last five years typically paid £625 every month in rent to their landlords.
On average, it takes renters almost eight-and-a-half years before they finally save up enough to buy their own home, spending a total of £63,225 in rent.
This means they’ll have already spent the equivalent of more than a quarter of the average £228,903 property in the UK.
The study found three quarters believe it is ‘impossible’ to save for a home while renting.
Of those who have bought a home, they spent almost five years saving before putting down an average deposit of £24,033 on their property – more than 80% of the average adult’s salary.
Four in 10 were able to lean on their parents for financial support when it came to their deposit, while a fifth relied on an inheritance.
A quarter ended up moving back in with their parents to save on rent – and another 24% considered it but were able to avoid it.
For those respondents still renting, they think it will be at least another four years before they are in a position to think about buying their own home.
Researchers also found 18% of renters have taken on two jobs in a bid to save for a deposit.
Tim Beale, CEO of Keepmoat Homes, said: “For many people, renting is an important first step towards home independence. It offers benefits like flexibility, allowing you to test different areas and types of home, before you commit to buying somewhere.
“However, this research highlights the considerable cost of renting and therefore it isn’t surprising to see that for over half of people asked, say they feel as if the dream of home ownership will never be possible.
“In reality home ownership can cost less than your rent. For example with our average selling price of £156,000, the standard monthly mortgage repayments would make you approximately £100 a month better off than paying the typical £625 rent."
