First-time Buyers Face Toughest Conditions For 70 Years
First-time buyers are facing the toughest conditions in 70 years to buy a home, according to a report by the Building Societies Association (BSA).
Those buying a first home were increasingly reliant on having two high incomes or receiving parental support, it said.
Others have been priced out and "stuck" in renting from private landlords.
Building societies account for a quarter of mortgage lending, and their association suggests the market needs to change to allow more people to buy a home.
Mortgage rates are relatively high compared with the last decade, and the cost of renting has also soared.
Latest official figures, external showed private rental costs in the UK have risen by 9.2% in the last year.
The BSA's report, written by housing analyst Neal Hudson, suggests home ownership among younger people has been in decline over the last 20 years.
First-time buyers faced the dual affordability struggle of raising a deposit to buy a home as well as paying a mortgage.
Although the cost of a deposit had been difficult for some time, the recent increases in mortgage interest rates had tightened the squeeze, the report said.