Barclays mortgage data shows the average UK deposit last month was £59,057, though slightly higher among first-time buyers, at £62,272.

Deposit variation between regions is stark, reflecting local property prices, and ranging from a £36,161 on average in the North to over four times that in Greater London at £152,503.

In the capital, three in 10 renters (31%) cite cost of a deposit as one of the biggest barriers to homeownership, with property prices topping the list at 43%.

Elsewhere in the latest Barclays Property Insights report, the bank says that although deposits remain a top concern, renters’ confidence in the prospect of homeownership has risen slightly.

Some 15% say they believe they could buy a home within the next 12 months, compared with 12% in December.

The number of renters who say they couldn’t buy without financial support from family has also eased to 52% from 59% in December 2025.

The report also looks at problems around transaction chains and fall thoughts.

It says a third of UK adults who bought or sold a home in the past three years were involved in a chain, with 46% of them experiencing delays or transactions falling through.

This proves costly, with buyers and sellers typically budgeting £4,954 for third-party costs such as surveys and legal fees. However, chain issues added an average £2,127 or 43% to that figure.

Chain breakdowns were the leading cause of failed sales, cited by 22% of homeowners whose transactions did not complete. Other factors included gazumping (13%) and gazundering (11%), while 15% admitted to trying one of these tactics themselves, resulting in a collapsed transaction.