If you live in London and surrounding areas, how many people in your circle own their home

You've got some very niche responses here. I live somewhere a lot cheaper than London and most people (including families not just young singletons) rent

I think Generation Rent is younger, poorly paid, and crucially, single - most responders to the thread have said “we” which implies couples. Buying in London isn’t that difficult as part of a couple. My cousin is just 30 and earns a below average for London salary. He rented through his twenties but in house shares, and managed to save about £25k over 7 or 8 years. When he met his now partner, she was in a similar position. Unable to buy independently, but between them, a joint income of around £75,000 and a joint deposit of around £50k enabled them to buy their first flat this year.

Yes this is similar to me. Mid 30s-40 and 90% own but we’re all childfree, good careers and own one- or two-bed flats. The only person I know in a huge detached house has millionaire in-laws. I know two couples with two-bed terraces and again they had significant help. I think I’m the only one who had literally zero help (poor parents with no money to help even if they wanted to). My flat is considerably smaller and shitter than anyone else’s! All in SE London in a “cheap” bit

I'm don't know anyone that rents but I'm in the Early 40s bracket as are friends.

Some people I know secured life tenancies and pay rent but call this their house. Some did partially owned and live their lives come what may - these are people who just work and not on massive salaries and also parental help if any - around 1000 to 5000 maximum as one off

Ex councils flat for cheaper and larger size
Nice blocks 50 and above sq m - 250 to 340 thousands - from Sutton and outwards

I'm not London but Surrey. Late 30's, I along with 2-3 other couples and singles i know still rent. Couple are in HA properties.

Other than 2-3 couples i would call actual friends who started on the shared ownership and have over time, bought more of the percentage, most other friends have had significant help or inherited money.

Everyone I know owns (mid 40s). But like us they bought early and others had parental help.

Define “my circle” - all my colleagues and friends own, but we are hospital consultants. Of DS’s school parents, which is obviously a much more mixed demographic, I’d say maybe half own and half rent?

Yep and it's also mostly parents, so people who are even more likely to own their house.
I'm childfree, most of my friends are childfree too, but all of the ones who have kids own.

London at in 'still on the tube line', loads of people own. London as in where you might actually want to live, no one.

All of them, but all 'cheap' flats.

So not London

There are some self-selecting friendship groups at play here!

I was surprised how many parents in our SW London zone 3 state primary were renting. A lot of it was due to having moved from abroad (and own property 'back home'). Some are council tenants. I like the mix of people.
If we went to one of the local private schools the demographic would be different.

I think probably 70:30 people with mortgages to renting (private or council). I'm not aware of anyone owning outright.

We are late 30s. I would say there's a real line a few years younger than us. We were able to buy age 28 but properties doubled in the following 3 years and salaries didn't. DH has a younger sibling who didn't manage to buy and seems to now be locked in a cycle of paying too much rent to save the deposit, despite a good job.

I'm in my 30s and have just left London. In my circle, every single person owned their property bar one guy who lives in his longterm girlfriend's (owned) flat and a couple who have just moved to the country. Most of us bought in our late 20s or early 30s. We're all graduates / professionals.

All of them (assuming you count SE19, SE25, SE27 and Croydon as London and include those paying a mortgage off).

All my uni friends own. We have the smallest (floor space/number of bedrooms) and cheapest house and were the last to buy in London. We r in a nice area in zone 4.

Zone 6 here, early 40s. A few renting, a few own outright (usually after inheritance), a few in flats or larger houses. But I'd say 90% of people I know around here have a mortgaged 3-4 bed semi.

I am 39 and grew up in London (nice leafy part of zone 2).

I would say 90pc of people I know of my age group still here now have mortgages (acquired since turning 30) but in much less naice areas of London than we grew up in.

I and few others bought ex-council flats as a way to stay fairly central but in "rougher" areas and hope for gentrification. Two did shared ownership, one did help to buy. All two income households except me.
Almost all had some parental help (or inheritances) from between £20k to £100k.

Most people lived in houseshares until 30, even as couples, prioritizing cheaper rent while they saved.

The childcare years are then very tough though financially as usually mortgage at top end of what people can borrow.

None, we all privately rent and just can't afford to save for a deposit and don't have families that can help

All of my friends in London own their home, but we are boomers.
A couple of my son's friends in their early 30s own their own places, but that's either as part of a couple ( no kids) or with a healthy cash injection from family. None of the younger people I work with ( under 40) own their own place, either alone or with a partner.

If you buy a flat , you could be owning

When I lived in London (in my 20s and 30s) I knew maybe 2 or 3 people who had bought somewhere and the rest were renting with partners or housemates or still living with parents.

I'm now in my 40s and living about 40 minutes out of London now (Herts/Essex border) and I would say it is about 50:50 renters/mortgages.