Britain’s Biggest Commitment-Phobes
Which city’s couples take the longest to buy a house together?
Buying a house is a huge deal for anyone, but when you’re doing so as a couple, the level of commitment – both financial and romantic – can sometimes be daunting. It’s a huge statement of loyalty to your partner and as such, many will keep delaying the decision.
In our recent research, we surveyed 2,000 Brits in relationships and found that 18-24 year-olds think buying and even renting a house as a couple requires more commitment than marriage.
With such property milestones considered so significant in relationships, it’s no wonder that Brits wait an average of two years and two months before buying a house together.
Women are slightly more hesitant than men, as they’d like to wait an extra two months before committing to buying with a partner. The same applies to renting, but when it comes to exchanging keys to their respective homes, both men and women tend to wait around 11 months.
In terms of cities, Cardiff is home to the biggest commitment-phobes. Its residents wait an average of two years and six months before buying houses as a couple – nearly nine months longer than those in Manchester, who are the quickest to reach the milestone.
Here are the top 10 UK cities where people wait the longest to buy a house with their partner:
- Cardiff – 2 years, 6 months and 3 days
- Belfast – 2 years, 5 months and 27 days
- Newcastle – 2 years, 5 months and 12 days
- Liverpool – 2 years, 4 months and 27 days
- Edinburgh – 2 years, 4 months and 24 days
- Norwich – 2 years and 4 months
- Leeds – 2 years, 3 months and 6 days
- Sheffield – 2 years, 2 months and 21 days
- Nottingham – 2 years, 2 months and 3 days
- Glasgow – 2 years and nine days
People from Cardiff are also the slowest to say ‘I love you’ for the first time, waiting an average of six months and 18 days. This is about six weeks longer than the national average and nearly three months slower than it takes the residents of Sheffield.
How long did you wait before buying a property with your partner? Let us know by tweeting us at @GoodMoveUK.
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