32.9% of Brixton and Lambeth homeowners are mortgage free

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How Many Brixton Homeowners Have Paid Their Mortgage Off?

The Government’s Annual Housing Survey is 50 years old this year! 

It has taken a snap shot of the UK’s property market every year since 1969 and in the recently published report for 2018, it wasn’t a surprise that owner occupation is still the most predominant tenure. Yet, now more people own their home without a mortgage rather than having a mortgage as the number people buying their first home (obviously with a mortgage) has declined since the Millennium. The report also shows homeowners (mortgaged and owned outright) are, on average, older than renters and between the homeowners themselves, those who are mortgage free are older than those with a mortgage.

Looking at the most recent of data for Lambeth, I wanted to see how we compared to the national picture. Therefore, focusing on the main 4 tenures of owned outright, with a mortgage, social housing (i.e. Council Housing and Housing Association) and private rented, this is what I found out…

So how many local homeowners have paid off their mortgage?

32.9% of Brixton and Lambeth homeowners are mortgage free, yet of the 10,567 households that are owned by 50 – 64yo in Brixton and the Lambeth area, 57.8% of those people still have a mortgage.

As most people bought their first house in their early to mid 20’s back in the 1980’s, this shows that a lot of Brixton and Lambeth people must have re-mortgaged in the past and extended their borrowings (otherwise they should have paid their mortgage off now).

The other thing that concerns me is the 5.1% of the Brixton and Lambeth over 75yo homeowners that have a mortgage.

If you amalgamate the national historic ranges going back to 1977, you will see the number of people who own a property with a mortgage has been dropping since the Millennium, yet nationally the number of people who own a property has remained roughly the same, even with the growth of the private rented sector.

Reports in the industry suggest that in the next ten years that will increase, as nearly 1 in 5 homeowners will be still paying off their mortgage after retirement. One of the reasons behind that will be the legacy of interest-only loans and delayed first-time buying as we become more and more like Germany in our house ownership models, where people naturally rent their homes until their 50’s and then buy when they inherit money from their parents.

In the meantime, demand for Brixton rental properties will only increase … so good news for Brixton Buy to Let landlords and indirectly Brixton homeowners as well.


Matylda Nowak

AUTHOR OF BRIXTON PROPERTY BLOG, CEO, Kings Accommodation

Matylda Nowak

My name is Matylda Nowak I am an author of the Brixton Property Blog and in-demand industry trainer.
I am passionate about properties, most likely because I understand this industry from every angle, I was a tenant, landlord, vendor, buyer, investor, I am also running lettings management and sales agency
This also gives me experience which has given me opportunity to see all sides of the property business which is quite helpful when it comes to take an action.
London has several interesting areas, with South London providing a fantastic range of property and rental options. I fell in love with Brixton in 2006 when I have moved to one of London’s most popular go-to area. I will be posting here for you on a regular basis the price guides, conveyancing, surveys, mortgages, rental yields and vital latest property information, property legislations and compliance so please follow Brixton Property Blog if you would like to stay updated.
I love helping people achieve their dreams and helping them work through key obstacles, so that they can live life on a whole new level, we all deserve it!
I help YOU invest without the stress
So if you are looking for a property advise or find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of work or knowledge you have to know with all of the recent changes in Property Legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me. I have over a decade of experience in properties, I have done it for myself and for many of our landlords and I will be happy to help you too.
Matylda Nowak
Local Property Expert

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