According to Lola Lurah, BBC News
“We just wanted to have something … so I bought a caravan.”
Gavin Sims, 44, from Cardiff, is one of many people trying to get on the housing ladder and have to look for alternatives.
For him and his partner, the only option for safety is to buy a caravan if “everything goes wrong”.
But the issue of housing is a hot topic for many ahead of the July 4 general election, with Rishi Sunak being asked in a leadership debate last week what he is doing for young people.
People like Ethan Gwyn, 28, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, say the party needs to do more to support people like him.
Now the average house in the UK is almost as expensive nine times the average income.
People are usually entitled to four times their salary on a mortgage, and are expected to put down a minimum of 5% deposit – although this is usually 10%.
‘I can barely survive paying the mortgage’
Postman Ethan almost bought a house in 2023, but when interest rate rose in the mini-budget Liz Trusshe said it went from “really practical to really impossible”.
He said his current mortgage payment would be more than half his income before bills and other expenses, which he said “wouldn’t survive and barely survive”.
Without a partner, he sees no hope even though he has a large deposit and none of the things his friends enjoy such as vacations.
He also wants to buy locally for himself in Ton Pentre, which he says has more affordable properties.
“It has an impact on my mental health, because I don’t see a way forward,” he said.
A member of the Labor Party, Ethan said the smaller parties seemed to have young people as their priority.
“I’m just not enthusiastic about what (Labour) is offering.
He says the situation calls for something more drastic, like the post-World War II national house building scheme, which saw more than a million homes built.
He said: “We need something like this to solve the problem.
“I just want the same things as my parents at my age. The same as my grandparents, (who) are the same as the majority of my family.”
Ethan contact us through Your Voice, Your Vote and you can too.
‘We’re stuck in limbo like everyone else’
Gavin said people forget to include professionals in conversations around the house.
He rents in Cardiff with his partner, 49, and says saving for a big enough deposit is a massive hurdle.
He earns more than £45,000 working in cyber security and, while his current partner is not working for healthcare, he says he can pay the mortgage easily because he pays £1,000 in rent.
“We’re in this limbo because of so many people,” he said. “We just want security, just to know that this is your home and no one can take it from me.”
When he was made redundant in 2021, he and his partner decided they didn’t want the money saved for many years, so they looked at their options and decided to buy a caravan.
“We just want to have something,” said Gavin, who is worried the feed will trickle into daily life if it’s kept in savings for too long.
“If everything goes wrong, we can just grab the animal and go there.”
He said he and his friends would like to move out of Cardiff to save more on their marriage, but he worries as he gets older that a mortgage seems more unlikely.
He said that young people have a difficult future.
“I don’t expect a magic wand if we get a new government, but I hope some changes will happen,” he said.
‘Forgiving country’
As for Carys, who owns Swansea-based Perfect Pads, he said demand and rental prices had “skyrocketed” post-Covid and made it harder for people to give deposits.
“(Purchase) demand is high across the country,” he said, with half a dozen properties showing above asking price.
“It’s an exciting situation now that rents are high for tenants, but also from a landlord’s point of view, there are a lot of rules and regulations that landlords have to follow.”
She said without moving house or support from family, high rents can limit options. But landlords also have to keep up with rising interest rates and fees.
“In my opinion, the market is stable,” he said, but more homes need to be built to meet demand.
What do you promise first time buyers?
Housing is a devolved issue, so the UK government is responsible for the UK, while the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish governments have power in their own countries.
Some elements such as stamp duty do not apply in Wales, where people pay Land Transaction Tax.
Interest rates and inflation, however, are regulated by the Bank of England and fall under the remit of the British government. and privacy in England may affect home ownership in Wales
Conservative promise:
- Expanding help to buy to cover homes in need of renovation, turning 20,000 empty properties in Wales into homes, as well as second homes.
- Restore the right to buy for council homes and reinvest the proceeds in new social housing
Workers said in UK it will:
- Build 300,000 homes a year, and accelerate development on brownfield sites
- Beyond the government-backed guarantee scheme, to help people buy with smaller deposits
- In Wales, Labor said the Welsh Labor government would retain the Help to Buy Scheme, which was scrapped by the Tories in England, build 14,000 new homes, and support shared ownership schemes.
Plaid Cymru said will:
- Develop plans to expand local housing in the UK, using public and private funding
- Working with communities to provide the right mix of housing in Wales looking at health, education and transport needs, as well as sufficient local green space and play facilities.
Liberal Democrats said will:
- Build 380,000 new homes every year in the UK, including 150,000 social homes every year
- It promised to build what it called a new “garden city” and would ban no-fault evictions for tenants.
The Green Party said will:
- Build at least 12,000 new homes a year in Wales,
- Introduce a community right to buy for local authorities to enable older housing stock to be purchased and refurbished
- Introduce a minimum wage of £15 for all workers 16 and over
- Top up Universal Credit by £40 a week to help financially.
- Insulate the rest of the house to keep costs down
Reformation said will:
- Increased funding for affordable housing offers tax incentives for developers to build affordable housing and for first-time buyers to reduce the financial burden of purchasing a home.
- Invest in infrastructure projects that boost the regional economy
- Simplify and harmonize national planning regulations
- Introduce or develop national schemes such as Help to Buy
- Prevent speculative practices that drive up prices