The number of people taking out mortgages grew for the first time in a decade last year while the private rental sector stalled.
After ten years of decline, the number of mortgages issued to households rose by 5% to 6.9m, according to the government’s annual English Housing Survey.
Analysts said that the government’s Help to Buy scheme, a growing reliance on parents for financial support and a loosening of lending conditions were beginning to drive up homeownership.
