So far in 2025, 71% of London home buyers have been first-time buyers, the second-highest proportion in the UK (just behind Scotland) and up 1% from 2024.
This insight comes from Compare My Move’s conveyancing data, based on just under 6,000 London-based buyers surveyed since January 2025.
However, these first-time buyers aren’t spread evenly across the capital. Some boroughs are seeing far more activity than others, revealing clear trends in where first-time buyers are choosing to settle.
Greenwich has been the most popular London borough for first-time buyers in 2025, with almost 80% of all purchases made by people buying their first property through Compare My Move partners. Close behind is Newham, with just a 0.05% difference in the proportion of first-time buyers. In third place is Bexley, the cheapest London borough to buy a house, where 77% of buyers are purchasing their first home, and the average property price stands at £414,000.
The top 10 boroughs most popular with first-time buyers have an average house price of £539,800, slightly below the London average. Meanwhile, the 10 least popular boroughs for first-time buyers have an average house price of £729,800 and include some of the most expensive areas in the capital.
Dave Sayce, co-founder and managing director at Compare My Move, commented: “There is a clear link between the average property price in a borough and the percentage of first-time buyers. The top four areas attracting the most first-time buyers are also four of the five cheapest boroughs in London, and even these are around 60% more expensive than the UK national average. It’s clear that those buying their first home in London are having to look towards the more affordable areas.
“London’s house prices have been falling year-on-year, and I don’t expect that trend to change anytime soon. Over the next 12 to 18 months, we’re also likely to see significant reforms to the way leaseholds are handled in the UK. Given how many London properties are flats, these changes could have a major impact on how affordable and accessible they become for first-time buyers. These factors suggest that the number of first-time buyers in London will continue to rise, and we should see that reflected in the data over the next year.”
