Millions of Gen-Xers are looking to use their property to fund their pension even though they haven’t bought a home yet, new research shows.
According to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, nearly half of all 35 to 54 year-olds (8.3 million) are planning to use property to help finance their retirement.
However, 23% or 1.9 million people within this group have yet to buy a property, suggesting that some may be basing their future financial security on an asset they may never own.
A further breakdown of age groups in Generation X reveal that 36% of 35-44s who have yet to buy their first home feel they will be able to use this asset in retirement, while 14% of 45-54s who have yet to climb on the property ladder agree.
Rather worryingly, the statistics revealed that 54% of Generation X don’t think much about retirement income but generally think it will work out OK in the end, and around half are too busy worrying about day-to-day living costs to think about their retirement income (51%).
Figures from across the UK indicate that reliance on using unowned property greatest in the east (14%) and lowest in Yorkshire and The Humber (2%).
In London, where property prices are the highest in the country, an estimated 330,000 people (13%) are planning to fund their retirement with property they are yet to buy.
Graham Vidler, director of external affairs at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, said: “The majority of Generation X find themselves in the unenviable position of being too young to benefit from generous defined benefit pension schemes and too old to receive the full benefits of automatic enrolment.
“They need support in understanding how their pension, property and any other savings might top up their state pension to give them a decent income in retirement. Government should assess the best ways for Generation X to engage with retirement income planning and, in particular, consider whether interventions related to key life events, such as a mid-life financial health check, would result in better outcomes.”
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