Entering the market should be based on current affordability and eligibility rather than old participation statistics.
Compare the options
Assess buying a home to live in, a smaller property, co-ownership or continuing to rent and save. Rentvesting adds investment and tenancy risks and is not automatically safer or riskier than other choices. Moving costs vary; a universal eight-per-cent rule is not reliable.
Get current finance advice
Self-employed lender requirements vary and are not a universal five-year trading requirement. Check your actual income evidence and sustainable repayments. Government schemes have eligibility, price and owner-occupancy conditions. Remove outdated 2016 claims from the decision and use today's official guidance.
