Soap star characters unable to afford on-screen homes

Having assessed the current job salaries and estimated property values for some of the nation’s favourite soap characters, Urban.co.uk can reveal that the majority would only be able to rent their homes in Albert Square, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, as they would be far too expensive to buy.

Only Louis Loveday in Hollyoaks is in a position to secure a mortgage to cover the current value of his property. He could borrow £193,200 based on his salary as a school teacher to purchase his flat, currently estimated at £195,850. After such a turbulent year for the Loveday family, this should come as welcome news!

The research also shows that the entire village of Emmerdale earns far less than needed to buy a property in Esholt; the village where the fictional village of Emmerdale is set. With Rakesh Kotecha having recently committed insurance fraud by setting fire to his latest building project, Mill Cottage, affordable housing in the village is at an all time low. 

Life on the cobbles isn’t more affordable either; even Kevin Webster, car mechanic and the street’s highest earner, cannot afford to purchase his modest two-bedroom, terraced house in Salford. In fact, of the eight Corrie characters assessed, Leanne Tilsley, restaurant manager, was the only character identified as being the most financially able to purchase her property but still with a deficit of £6,874.75 (28% of her current yearly salary). 

Key findings from the research include:

• Denise Fox from EastEnders would have a deficit of over £1m if she were to purchase her four-bedroom semi-detached house with a 5% deposit.
• The cheapest property depicted in soap land is Marlon Dingle’s two-bedroom, semi-detached house in Emmerdale, with a current market value of £125,429. His chef’s salary is estimated to be £18,402.
• The most expensive property in soap land is Phil Mitchell’s four-bedroom semi-detached property in EastEnders, with a current market value of £1,257,997.
• For comparative purposes, Ali Spencer’s three bedroom semi-detached property in Emmerdale holds a current market value of £154,278, while Sonia Fowler’s three-bedroom semi-detached property in EastEnders holds a current market value of £634,146; a staggering disparity of £479,868.

Adam Male, co-founder of Urban.co.uk, comments: “As a nation we love to follow the turbulent lives of our favourite soap characters, from highly emotional love stories to complicated revenge plots – it’s all about escaping into another world. Our research shows just how far from reality the lives of these characters actually are, with hardly anyone able to afford their homes in real life. 

“Luckily, the likelihood of Phil Mitchell selling his £1m pad in the East End and retiring from his life of crime is an unlikely plotline, meaning that fans of the show can look forward to many more dramatic episodes featuring our favourite cockney heavy.”