UPDATE: |’It took 16 years, but we’ve finally stopped paying someone else’s mortgage’ News

Monika and Damian’s success at getting on the property ladder offers hope to millions of renters who are in a similar boat

With high rent prices making it increasingly difficult to save up for a house deposit, more and more people are now forced to rent for longer. Although some people rent by choice, as it offers them more flexibility and ease, others see it as a stopgap in the hopes of getting a foot on the property ladder one day.

A couple who were stuck renting for 16 years have finally broken the cycle and bought their first home. First-time buyers Monika, 36, and Damian, 39, are now the proud owners of their four-bedroom detached house – and say they are thrilled to no longer by paying someone else’s mortgage.

Monika spoke to the Manchester Evening News as part of our Where I Live series. Each week we speak to a homeowner or renter from across the region to hear about their buying or renting journey, whilst taking a peek inside their home.

The couple moved to the UK from Poland in 2008 and have been navigating the rental market ever since. They rented in Kirkby for five years before moving to Bedford, and then in 2015, they made the move to Greater Manchester and began renting in Oldham.

“My brother was already living here, Damian had just done his HGV driving course and there were more jobs here, so it just made sense to move up here,” Monika, who is a staff nurse, told the M.E.N.

Monika and Damian, who have two sons, were renting a three-bedroom terrace, but had always dreamt of owning their own home.

“Once we moved to Oldham, we decided that we wanted to stay here, but we’ve always wanted to own our own home rather than rent,” Monika said.

“We have been saving for a deposit over the last five years, but even before that it has always been on our minds. We just knew that we needed to save up more money if we were going to buy somewhere.”

During Covid, the couple decided that they wanted to try to get on the property ladder. They put in an offer in 2021 for the house they were renting, but the house fell through. They then began renting elsewhere whilst continuing to save.

“Before I qualified as a nurse, our budget was much lower,” Monika said. “I started working extra shifts, we skipped holidays, and my father left some money when he passed away, so we were then able to save up a bigger deposit.”

Monika and Damian decided to start house hunting again in winter 2023. They wanted somewhere with enough space for their sons to have separate bedrooms, and Monika had her eye on a new build.

“I always wanted to live in a new build house. Me and Damian had a little bit of a disagreement about it at the beginning, but after viewing many houses on the market, I think we both agreed that we wanted our home to be our own,” Monika said.

“I just liked the fact that nobody else has lived in the house before me, everything is brand new and you don’t have to worry about the previous owner’s issues like mould and damp.

“We wanted somewhere that was cheap for bills so energy efficiency was a must. And then on top of everything, we really wanted a detached.”

Whilst looking in the area, the couple came across Hartshead View, a new development of 144 two, three and four-bedroom homes.

“Because we already lived in this area, we knew that Countryside were going to build homes nearby, so we went to see what options they had,” Monika said.

After being impressed by the plans, they bought a four-bedroom detached house off-plan in June 2023.

“We reserved the home without even seeing inside the show home which was a bit of a risk. We were a little bit scared to see if it was going to look exactly how they said inside,” Monika said.

“The show home was built in mid September so that was the first time that we knew whether or not we had chosen the right place and the right house, and we weren’t disappointed.”

The first-time buyers got the keys to their new home in December 2024. Having lived there for three months, they say they now feel very settled.

Speaking about the advantages of owning their first home versus renting, Monika said: “We’ve lived in rental properties for so many years and wish we could have bought our own home sooner.

‘It’s much better now that we aren’t paying someone else’s mortgage, we’re paying our own now. Even though our mortgage is more than our rent was, it’s ours. We can decorate it the way we want and we can have pets.

Monika added: “I think you feel more secure when you own your own home. I know you might worry about paying your mortgage, but you don’t have the worry of receiving a notice because your landlord wants to sell the house. So we feel more stability.”

Giving a tour of their home, Monika described: “When you come in through the main doors, we’ve got the hallway. On the right, we’ve got our small bathroom downstairs. On the left hand side we’ve got the living room with a bay window. Then when you go in through the hallway we’ve got the kitchen and a dining room together.

“Going upstairs from the hallway we’ve got two bedrooms on each side, two on the left and two on the right. At the front, you’ve got a family bathroom. Then from our master bedroom we’ve got an en-suite. We’ve also got a garden at the back.”

Monika added: “I love the layout. I always wanted to have an open-plan kitchen and dining room. That’s absolutely something I love about it.

“The boys love that it has a garage and we’re looking forward to decorating it ourselves, and getting pets – all things we weren’t able to do before. I can see it being our long-term family home.”