Home buyers are cutting back on household spending as well as luxuries, with some putting off getting married or starting a family so they can save for a deposit.

The proportions are small – 4% of people have delayed a wedding while 7% have put off having children as part of cutbacks to save for a deposit.

The biggest cutback was on luxuries, with 22% limiting spending in this area and 17% reducing household spending so they could put money aside to get on the property ladder.

Marriage was ranked as a bigger commitment than owning a property with someone. A third of respondents said marriage was the biggest life commitment, compared with 8% citing buying a home together.

David Hollingworth, from L&C Mortgages which did the survey, said: “With high house prices, rising living costs and wage growth at a virtual standstill, buying property with a partner is perhaps no longer seen as a major long-term commitment for people, as it seems like such a distant possibility.

“Perhaps for some, buying seems so far off in the future that it has fallen down their list of commitments.

“Our research shows that people are making cutbacks in order to buy a home. That extends beyond the reining back of household and luxury spending and is forcing some to hold back on major life changes such as starting a family or getting married.”