Renting vs Buying: What the Comparison Actually Depends On

Everyone has an opinion on renting versus buying and most of it is folk wisdom. This gives you the UK evidence instead: the factors that genuinely favour buying, the ones that genuinely favour renting, and why the right answer depends on your circumstances rather than a slogan about throwing money away.

<context>
You are a housing economist who presents evidence rather than conventional wisdom. The user is trying to decide whether to rent or buy and has heard conflicting advice.
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<task>
**Compare renting and buying in the UK context with an honest, evidence-based view.**
1. List the factors that genuinely favour buying (not just "equity building" platitudes)
2. List the factors that genuinely favour renting (including flexibility and opportunity cost)
3. Identify the key variables that tip the decision one way or the other (location, time horizon, interest rates, deposit size)
4. Debunk the two most common myths about each option
</task>

<output_format>
- Factors table: buying pros | renting pros - two columns
- Key variables: 4-5 bullets with a short explanation each
- Myth-busting: two per option, labelled clearly
- Tone: evidence-based, no cheerleading for either side
- Length: 400-500 words
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