"While this data is really encouraging, the supply of new homes remains a significant challenge, with recent NHBC data showing new home starts are 17% below the ten-year average"
- Roy Hind - Connells Group
Estate agency and property services company Connells Group has reported a 39% increase in first-time buyer registrations in Q3 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, reflecting strong demand for homeownership despite rising affordability challenges.
The firm’s latest shared ownership Factsheets for Q3 2025 highlight the growing interest from first-time buyers and the affordability advantages of Shared Ownership. Nationally, the average monthly payment for a 25% Shared Ownership share is £691, which is 36% lower than the average traditional mortgage payment of £1,080.
"Our data shows the demand to step onto the property ladder is clearly there, but as we well know, affordability has become a major blocker for first-time buyers wanting to purchase their first home," explained Roy Hind, Connells Group’s affordable housing director. "That’s why shared ownership is a vital solution for aspiring homeowners in today’s market and one which needs to be prioritised across the housing sector if we really want to help buyers overcome cost barriers and access homeownership."
Regionally, the North East offers the best shared ownership opportunities, with all five of the most affordable local authorities located there. Conversely, the five least affordable local authorities are in London. In Hartlepool, the most affordable area, Shared Ownership owners would spend around 16% of their salary on monthly payments, compared with 74% in Kensington & Chelsea, the least affordable local authority.
| Most affordable | Least affordable |
| Hartlepool – 16% | Kensington & Chelsea – 74% |
| Darlington – 17% | Westminster – 56% |
| County Durham – 17% | Wandsworth – 54% |
| Redcar and Cleveland – 18% | Camden – 52% |
| Northumberland – 18% | Hammersmith & Fulham – 51% |
Hind added, “While this data is really encouraging, the supply of new homes remains a significant challenge, with recent NHBC data showing new home starts are 17% below the ten-year average. Shared Ownership is a vital solution to the affordability gap, and therefore, to truly unlock homeownership for more people, we need to explore innovative ways to boost housing supply and ensure these much-needed options remain available.”
