Jack (27) and Gemma (28), bought together as friends to escape London’s rental market. The pair of Tech Consultants bought a two-bedroom property at Dock28 in Woolwich for £440,000 with a deposit of £44,000, which they split evenly.

Seeking an escape from London’s increasingly unstable rental market, friends Jack and Gemma, who had previously been renting together in the Royal Docks, joined forces to get on the property ladder. “We knew we wanted to get out of renting after our landlord kept increasing the rent. We’ve rented together for five years and decided that it was the right move for both of us. Realising that we couldn’t buy in London on a single salary, we decided to buy together.”

The pair were surprised by how easy the buying process was as friends, “We were really surprised by how easy it was for us to buy a home together. Fairview were very transparent and guided us through the process. The only challenges came from solicitors, but these were more to do with the general challenges of buying a house - such as understanding terminology and figuring out the questions you need to be asking during viewings - rather than the process doing it with a friend.”

Jack and Gemma would recommend buying with a friend to anyone who is frustrated with renting: “We’d absolutely recommend buying as friends. We realise that for some it can be off-putting as there’s a societal expectation that when you buy a house, it has to be done with a significant other, but we decided to do it together as it made sense for us at the time.

“We have lived together for years and enjoy the consistency and stability, and if you can get out of the rental cycle and have someone who you trust and enjoy living with, we would 100% recommend that you go for it!”

Their advice for anyone who is considering buying with a friend would be to be upfront, “Be completely transparent, have conversations together and plan how things will work. There needs to be open lines of communication and you’ll have difficult conversations – whether that’s about what you want out of a property or area, or seeing each other’s finances in a degree of detail that you probably haven’t before – it’s important to be open and honest. Without this, there will be surprises that can lead to even more awkward conversations, or even losing your dream home.”

Between them, the pair saved for seven years to buy and utilised government schemes to increase their savings, “I (Jack) used Help To Buy and Gemma used her LISA to save for our deposit. As a first-time buyer, it’s important to maximise all of the money and support you are entitled to in order to help you save.”

Previously renting in the Royal Docks, they were drawn to Dock28 for its security and Woolwich’s potential as an up-and-coming area, “We chose a new-build home for the ease of having a space that’s completely ready to move in, the guarantee from NHBC also assured us that we’d be protected from damage, and everything would be completed to a high standard.

“More so, it was genuinely the team at Dock28 that convinced us. We walked in and the property just had the wow factor compared to older properties that we had been looking at. They sold us the dream and delivered!

The property also offered us ample space to be able to live independently under the same roof. The bedrooms are even in size and have enough space for both a bed and a desk for us to work from home without disturbing each other.

We also know that whatever happens, we’ve made a sound investment given the potential of the area and the fact that it’s undergoing exciting regeneration.”