Revealed: the UK cities where couples take the longest to buy a house together

• The average UK couple waits two years and two months before buying a property
• Cardiff couples wait the longest before buying a house together – Mancunians are the quickest
• Women want to wait two months longer than men before buying property together

Buying a house as a couple shows a lot of commitment, both romantic and financial, and for some this can be daunting. Just ask the people of Cardiff, who, according to new research, wait the longest before buying property with their partner.

The study¹, conducted by regulated property buyer Good Move, surveyed 2,000 Brits in relationships and asked how long they waited or are planning to wait before buying a house with their loved one.

On average, Brits wait two years and two months before reaching the milestone, but this varies significantly around the UK.

Couples in Cardiff are the biggest commitment-phobes, waiting an average of two years and six months before buying property together. This is nearly nine months longer than those from Manchester (one year, nine and a half months), who are the quickest to make such a purchase.

The top 10 UK cities where people wait the longest before buying a house with their partner are:

1) Cardiff – 2 years, 6 months and 3 days

2) Belfast – 2 years, 5 months and 27 days

3) Newcastle – 2 years, 5 months and 12 days

4) Liverpool – 2 years, 4 months and 27 days

5) Edinburgh – 2 years, 4 months and 24 days

6) Norwich – 2 years and 4 months

7) Leeds – 2 years, 3 months and 6 days

8) Sheffield – 2 years, 2 months and 21 days

9) Nottingham – 2 years, 2 months and 3 days

10) Glasgow – 2 years and 9 days

Women are slightly more hesitant than men, as they’d like to wait an extra two months before committing to buying with a partner. The same applies to renting, but when it comes to exchanging keys to their respective homes, both men and women tend to wait around 11 months.

The study also explored how British couples rank the level of commitment required to buy a house against traditional relationship milestones. It found that 18-24 year-olds think buying and even renting a house with a partner requires more commitment than marriage.

Ross Counsell, director at Good Move, said: “Buying a house together is a huge decision for couples, not just because of the significant financial commitment, but if the relationship comes to an end, it can be incredibly complicated and stressful to deal with the logistics.

“It’s why so many Brits want to live with their partner first before committing to buying anywhere. Our research found that nearly two-thirds of Brits in relationships would only buy a property together if they’d trialled co-habiting first and that’s a really sensible way to approach the situation.”

For more information about the research, visit: https://goodmove.co.uk/blog/how-long-do-young-couples-wait-before-buying-a-house-together/