Who, and how many, plan to take out the ‘Home Start’ loan?
In early September GKI conducted a representative survey of 1,000 people. The results suggest that 8.2% of the adult population intend to take part in the Home Start programme over the next six months (September 2025 to February 2026). Of these, 3.7% say it is very likely, while a further 4.4% regard it as somewhat likely. The remaining 91.8% either do not wish to use the loan or are undecided.
How likely is it that you will make use of the Home Start scheme within the next six months?
Source: GKI Survey
If only those who answered “very likely” are assumed to take up the loan, some 152,000 households may join the programme over the next six months. For comparison, there were 127,000 housing transactions in total last year.
Who plans to take out the loan?
Residents of the capital are more likely to plan on taking out the loan (12%) than those living elsewhere in the country (6-8%). The differences are also stark by occupation: entrepreneurs show the highest share (19%) of intended participants, followed by middle and senior managers (15%). These two groups, of course, are not typically made up of young entrants to the labour market. Among office and white-collar employees 14% plan to join, while only 6% of manual workers do.
The programme enjoys strong popularity among younger generations, though many middle-aged households also plan to make use of the state subsidy. Among 18 to 29 year-olds, 5% marked “very likely” and a further 10% “somewhat likely”. A strikingly large share of this age group remain undecided (30%). This illustrates how the Home Start scheme has created a new situation for young adults: many had never seriously considered buying a home before, yet now they have entered the market, if only as “onlookers.”
Those aged 30-39 plan to take up the support at nearly the same rate as younger adults (14%), while the share of positive responses among 40-59 year-olds is lower (6-8%). Among those over 60, participation is negligible, partly due to difficulties in obtaining loan approval.
How likely is it that you will make use of the Home Start scheme within the next six months?
Source: GKI Survey
In summary, interest in the Home Start programme spans a broad spectrum of society, particularly younger age groups, residents of the capital, and entrepreneurs and managers. Over the next six months, as much as 152,000 households could take advantage of the support, suggesting a substantial boost to housing market activity. The mass entry of undecided young buyers could trigger a new wave of demand, with significant implications not only for property prices but also for the programme’s fiscal impact.
