'Enraged' Kirstie Allsopp says youths can buy home if they 'move somewhere cheaper'

6 February 2022, 16:38

TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has come under fire for claims that young people can afford a house, if they "just move somewhere cheaper" and give up gym and streaming subscriptions.

She said young people can afford to buy a home if they give up "luxuries" such as gym membership and holidays, and look for housing in cheaper areas.

The presenter of Location, Location, Location told The Sunday Times she is "enraged" by people claiming they cannot afford a home.

She advised students and young people to consider moving back in with their parents, but did not seem to acknowledge that for some young people, this is not an option.

Her comments have received backlash online for not understanding the difficulties of the cost of living, as well as rising house prices.

One Twitter user simply wrote: "Na I'm done."

Another quipped: "I wish Kirstie Allsopp's Location Location Location was Mars Mars Mars! Her views are from another planet!!"

Others dismissed her claims as "ludicrous" and "detached" from reality.

Ms Allsopp bought her first property with "family help", The Sunday Times reports.

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'Nobody's going to help me.'

She said: "I do think you have to ask yourself what your degree is giving you. Could you get a job at 18, stay at home with [your] parents for three years, and save every single penny, enough for a deposit?"

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"I don't want to belittle those people who can't do it," she said.

"But there are loads of people who can do it and don't. It is hard.

"We've fallen into the trap of saying it's impossible for everybody."

She said there is an issue with people not wanting to make sacrifices in order to buy a home.

According to Allsopp, owning a home is the "be all and end all".