It will be historically a first as falling UK home ownership levels means that France comes out on top.

The data supplied by Eurostat reports that in 2014, the UK's proportion of  home owner occupiers is lower than France's. This is the first time that this has occurred since the data was started to be compiled in 1995.

 

The UK's home ownership in 2013 was 64.6% which was just above France's percentage of 64.3%, the EU average home ownership is 70%.

Figures supplied from the DLCG (Department for Communities and Local Government) highlights that this is the lowest level of home ownership since 1988.

The buy-to-let sector is continually expanding and from the extra new homes build between 2000 and 2012, over 2.5 million have been taken up investors in the PRS, whilst only 400,000 have been mortgaged by owner occupiers.