根据房地产中介公司Hamptons的数据，上月在英国购买房产的首次购房者中，超过一半的人现在每月的抵押贷款支出比他们之前租房时的花费更多。
More than half of first-time homeowners who purchased a UK property last month are paying a bigger sum for their monthly mortgage payments than they previously spent on rent, according to estate agency Hamptons.
Hamptons的数据显示，9月份，56%的新购房者每月付款超过了他们之前的月租金——这是至少十年来的最高比例。平均而言，他们每月多付39英镑（约合52美元）。
In September, 56% of new buyers’ payments exceeded their previous monthly rent — the largest share in at least a decade, according to Hamptons’ data. On average, they are paying £39 ($52) more.
自美伊战争爆发以来，英国的抵押贷款利率一直在上升，这受到通胀上升和能源价格上涨的推动。这改变了人们考虑是否首次踏上购房阶梯时的财务计算。根据Moneyfacts的数据，平均五年期固定利率抵押贷款利率本月首次达到6%，这是大约三年来的第一次。
UK mortgage rates have been climbing since the outbreak of the US-Iran war, driven by rising inflation and energy prices. That’s changed the financial calculation for people who are considering whether to get on the housing ladder for the first time. The average five-year fixed mortgage rate hit 6% this month for the first time in about three years, according to Moneyfacts.
Hamptons研究主管Aneisha Beveridge在新闻稿中表示：“当利率低的时候，租户尽快购房的财务理由相当直接。”她补充说：“更高的抵押贷款利率通过取消即时节省，把这个方程式彻底颠倒了。”但她也指出，购房仍然具有长期好处，比如积累资产净值和获得更大的安全感。
“When interest rates were low, the financial case for tenants to buy as soon as they could was fairly straightforward,” Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, said in a press release. “Higher mortgage rates have turned that equation on its head” by removing the immediate saving. But, she added, home ownership still has long-term benefits, such as building equity and greater security.
Hamptons发现，40多岁的首次购房者面临住房成本的最大增加，其中67%的人现在的抵押贷款支付高于他们之前的租金。该中介机构指出，年龄较大的购房者通常会选择更大的房屋和更短的平均抵押贷款期限。
First-time buyers in their 40s faced the biggest increase in housing costs, Hamptons found, with 67% taking on a mortgage payment higher than their previous rent. Older buyers usually opt for larger homes and shorter average mortgage terms, the estate agency noted.
许多首次购房者希望通过购房积累权益，Knight Frank Finance 合伙人 Hina Bhudia 表示，英国人对买房有“强烈的文化亲和力”。
Many first-time buyers are keen to build equity, said Hina Bhudia, partner at Knight Frank Finance, and Brits have a “strong cultural affinity with homeownership.”
不过，她指出：“人们只有在能负担每月还款额时才会购买，‘6% 的抵押贷款利率意味着许多人根本买不起’。”
Still, “people will only buy if they can afford the monthly payments,” she said. “Mortgage rates at 6% mean many people simply can’t.”
租赁市场同样面临挑战。由于税收调整和新监管壁垒，许多房东退出市场，推高了租金。据 SpareRoom 数据，2026 年第三季度伦敦市中心可供租赁的房间比上一年同期减少了约 7%。
The rental market poses its own challenges. Many landlords have exited the market due to tax changes and new regulatory hurdles, driving up rents in the process. In central London, there were about 7% fewer rooms available to rent in the third quarter of 2026 compared to a year earlier, according to data from SpareRoom.
“租金对供需失衡极为敏感，且租客在可承受能力方面已被压缩，” SpareRoom 通讯总监 Matt Hutchinson 表示，“若租赁需求进一步加剧——例如因原本打算购房者转而租房——我们将面临更艰难的局面。”
“Rents are really sensitive to the supply-demand imbalance and, affordability-wise, tenants are already stretched thin,” Matt Hutchinson, communications director of SpareRoom, said. If rental demand “intensifies any more, through added pressure from those who might otherwise be buying, we can expect tougher times ahead.”
在日益昂贵的租赁市场停留时间过长，可能会让攒够首付变得更加困难，SPF Private Clients 首席执行官 Mark Harris 如是说，“推迟购房往往意味着租住更久，而租金持续上涨。”
Staying in an increasingly pricey rental market for longer could make saving up for a deposit even more difficult, said Mark Harris, chief executive officer of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients. Delaying making a purchase often means “you have to rent for longer, and rents continue to rise,” he said.