On Friday the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, met with senior leaders from 13 building societies from across the UK in Leeds to discuss how mutual lenders are helping first-time buyers turn homeownership from aspiration into reality.

She heard how building societies are supporting people with smaller deposits, complex incomes and non-traditional work patters, and lent her support to their campaign for aspiring homebuyers to think again about what might be possible.

Research from the Building Societies Association (BSA) shows that many aspiring first-time buyers could be closer to owning their own home than they think. Two-thirds (67%) of those trying to get a foot on the property ladder said they would be able to buy a home sooner than they thought when shown mortgages available from building societies that require no or low deposits, highlighting a clear gap between perception and reality.

The findings show that almost half (47%) of people who want to buy their own home have never spoken to a lender or mortgage broker to check what options are available to them. In Yorkshire, this rises to almost six in ten (59%), and even those in the region who have, more than half (54%) have not done so in the last year. During her visit, the Chancellor met three first-time buyers who were pleased to have recently bought their own home, overcoming the challenges of getting on the property ladder.

At the roundtable, building societies, including Nationwide, Coventry, Leeds, Yorkshire and Skipton discussed with the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the issues facing today’s first-time buyers, and how mutual lenders are developing practical solutions to help more people onto the property ladder.  

Building societies now provide 35% of all first-time buyer lending. Nearly half (46%) of this lending goes to borrowers under 30, almost a quarter (23%) supports buyers with deposits of less than 5%, and one-in-ten (10%) helps first-time buyers aged over 45¹.

Building societies have long been champions of first-time buyers and continue to innovate in response to modern challenges such as high house prices, non-traditional career paths and varied income patterns. Options available across the sector include very low or no deposit mortgages, flexible or extended repayment terms and shared ownership lending. A more personal approach to underwriting can also help borrowers whose personal circumstances may not fit more rigid and automated systems used by other lenders.

Chancellor of Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said:

"For too long, homeownership has felt out of reach for young people.

“We’re changing that by building 1.5 million new homes this Parliament and reforming mortgage rules so more first-time buyers can get the keys to their first home. I welcome the Building Societies Association’s work to help people understand the options available to them.”
 
Sarah Harrison, Chief Executive of the Building Societies Association said:

“We welcome the Chancellor’s support for our “think again” campaign and the opportunity to discuss with her how building societies are helping first-time-buyers across the country – and how with her support we can do even more.

“Too many people assume homeownership is out of reach without ever checking what is available to them. Building societies were set up to help ordinary working people buy their own homes, and that hasn’t changed. Whether it’s a smaller deposit, flexible ways of looking at income and affordability, or support for people whose circumstances aren’t straightforward, there are more options onto the property ladder than many first-time buyers realise.

“It’s worth anyone thinking about buying their own home to have a chat with a building society or mortgage broker, it could be the difference between thinking ‘maybe one day’ to ‘why not now’.”

Annette Barnes, Interim Chief Executive of Leeds Building Society said:

“It was fantastic to give the Chancellor the chance to meet some of our members who’ve benefited from changes we’ve made to be able to buy their first home.

“For example, we lowered the minimum household income required to apply for one of our Income Plus mortgages to £30,000.

“We’re always looking for new ways to responsibly help more people achieve their homeownership dream.”

[ENDS]

¹Source: BSA & UK Finance (based on first-time buyer lending in Jan - Sept 2025)

Press contacts:

press.office@bsa.org.uk
Tanya Jackson, tanya.jackson@bsa.org.uk  Tel: 07881 501098
Katie Wise, katie.wise@bsa.org.uk  Tel: 020 7520 5904
 
Notes to Editors:

The Building Societies Association (BSA) represents all 42 UK building societies, including both mutual-owned banks, as well as 7 of the largest credit unions. Building societies and mutual-owned banks have total assets of almost £677 billion and together with their subsidiaries, hold residential mortgages of £493.4 billion, 29% of the total outstanding in the UK. They also hold £495.6 billion of retail deposits, accounting for 23% of all such deposits in the UK. Building societies and mutual-owned banks account for 47% of all cash ISA balances.  

With all of their headquarters outside London, building societies employ around 52,300 full and part-time staff.  In addition to digital services, they operate through approximately 1,300 branches, holding a 35% share of branches across the UK. 

Research

• Total sample size was 1,000 UK adults (18+) who are yet to buy their first home, using an online survey and an email invite.
• Responses were collected between 9-20 January 2026.
• All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from Opinium.