New low in UK youngsters buying homes

The rate of young people buying homes in the UK has fallen to the lowest level on record, a new report says.

Just three per cent of those buying property in June were aged 18 to 30, according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), the lowest it has ever recorded.

In contrast, 48 per cent of buyers were aged 31 to 40, the NAEA said in its June Housing Market Report.

First-time buyers of all ages accounted for 20 per cent of sales, down from 25 per cent in May, the organisation said.

"Things are getting even tougher for first-time buyers," NAEA managing director Mark Hayward said.

"Not only do you now need to stump up ridiculously large sums of money in terms of deposits and stamp duty to be able to get on the ladder, but new rules mean buyers will also have to prove they can easily afford repayments now and in the future.

"Alongside this, a scaling back of the government's Help to Buy scheme and the implementation of the MMR (Mortgage Market Review) in April will also have a significantly negative impact on the first-time buyer market."

The NAEA said 78 per cent of its members believed that Bank of England governor Mark Carney's recent announcement on a cap on high-risk mortgages will affect the number of first-time buyers and home owners looking to move.

The pace of growth in mortgage lending remained subdued in June compared to the start of the year, according to figures from banks and building societies released last week.

Data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders revealed that an estimated STG17.5 billion pounds ($A31.94 billion) worth of home loans were handed out in June.

This was an increase on STG16.8 billion pounds in May and the highest monthly figure since October 2013. It was 17 per cent ahead of June 2013, following a 13 per cent year-on-year rise in May.

Earlier this week, the Office for National Statistics said house prices in London had risen at a record annual rate of 20.1 per cent while they were up 10.5 per cent across the UK.