property ladder

{{Short description|Homeowner terminology}}

{{About|the real-estate term|the reality television show|Property Ladder (TV series)}}

{{More citations needed|date=October 2021}}

The term property ladder—or housing ladder{{Cite web |title=HOUSING LADDER |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/housing-ladder |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Cambridge Dictionary}}—, widely used in the United Kingdom, describes the relative differences in constant terms from cheaper to more expensive housing.

According to this metaphor, an individual or a family can progress by stages from starter homes (for younger first-time buyers who are typically at the bottom of the property ladder) to move-up houses to more expensive houses that are at the top. "Getting on to the property ladder" is the process of buying one's first house and holding a place on the property market.

The Oxford English Dictionary traces use of the phrase "property ladder" back to 1941 in the journal Eugenics.{{oed | property ladder}}