Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Strategy. Read the original article for full details.

Dartford Tops List of Best UK Locations for First-Time Buyers in 2024

New research from HouseBuyers4u has revealed the best places in Britain for first-time buyers, with Dartford taking the top spot. The study analysed first-time buyer mortgage sales across local authorities and compared them with each area’s total dwelling stock to determine where first-time buyers made up the largest share of home purchases in 2024.

Dartford recorded 965 first-time buyer mortgage sales in 2024, equivalent to 19.36 sales per 1,000 dwellings—the highest rate in Britain. Nuneaton and Bedworth ranked second, with 1,036 first-time buyer purchases and a rate of 16.86 sales per 1,000 dwellings. Wandsworth came in third, achieving 2,598 first-time buyer transactions and 16.52 sales per 1,000 dwellings, despite its larger housing stock.

Swindon secured fourth place with 1,653 homes bought by first-time buyers, resulting in 16.10 sales per 1,000 dwellings. Rushmoor rounded out the top five, recording 669 first-time buyer purchases and 15.83 sales per 1,000 dwellings. Rugby followed closely behind with 825 first-time buyer sales and a rate of 15.80 per 1,000 dwellings.

Bracknell Forest was seventh, with 848 purchases by first-time buyers and 15.54 sales per 1,000 dwellings. The City of Edinburgh, despite having the highest total number of first-time buyer sales at 4,106, ranked eighth overall due to its larger housing stock, with 15.48 sales per 1,000 dwellings. Central Bedfordshire and Waltham Forest completed the top ten, with 15.45 and 15.17 sales per 1,000 dwellings respectively.

For letting agents and inventory clerks, these findings highlight areas with strong first-time buyer activity, which may indicate increased demand for rental properties and related services as new homeowners enter the market.