Brits 'don't want to own homes'

A substantial amount of British people do not want to own their own houses, a new study has found.

Research from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) indicated that more than one in four adults in UK cities has no wish to be a homeowner.

Cardiff is the capital of unwillingness to buy property, with 30 per cent of respondents taking this view.

Landlords in Manchester, Brighton and Belfast are likely to have plenty of interest from tenants as these cities also have high percentages of people not interested in home buying.

Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the NAEA, said that the recession has resulted in renting and other options becoming more popular than getting on the housing ladder.

He said: "These figures provide a snapshot of the state of the nation.

"They can be turned around and the NAEA would strongly urge the government and the lenders to do more to harness the emerging indicators of recovery seen across the housing market."

Only 10.3 per cent of respondents in Southampton admitted they have no desire to own property.

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