UK's over 60s hold €4.49 tn in housing wealth

According to property firm Savills, individuals aged 60 and over in the UK possess 55% of the nation's net housing wealth, totalling £3.84 tn (€4.49 tn).

Savills

Over the past decade, ending 2025, the UK's total net housing wealth has increased by £2.45 tn (€2.87 tn) or 54%, while mortgage debt grew by £0.45 tn (€0.53 tn) or 35%. However, recent modest house price growth over the last three years has considerably slowed this accumulation, with total housing wealth increasing by only £230 bn (€269 bn) or 3.4%.

Savills' research indicates that older homeowners have been the primary beneficiaries of this wealth growth over the last ten years. Unmortgaged owner-occupiers hold nearly half of the UK's total £7 tn (€8.19 tn) net housing wealth. This is 88% more than the £1.84 tn (€2.15 tn) held by mortgaged owner-occupiers and almost three times the £1.17 tn (€1.37 tn) held by private landlords.

Across all their property holdings, the over 60s collectively own 55% of all privately held housing wealth in the UK. Regionally, this demographic accounts for the highest proportion of homeowner wealth in the South West and the North East, each at 60%.

However, the highest concentration of owner-occupier wealth among the over 60s is found in the South East, a popular region for retirees, where they hold £602 bn (€704 bn). This amount is equivalent to the combined housing wealth held by older homeowners in Scotland, the North West, and Yorkshire & the Humber.

Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills, commented: “Over the past year, we have seen more robust first-time buyer transactions as mortgage regulation was relaxed, but the passing of equity between generations is still going to be a prominent feature of the housing market in the coming years. Some of the pressure we are seeing on private landlords is likely to unlock some housing wealth, as older investors cash in on the gains they have made in retirement.”