First-time buyers: Your stories
People who don't own their own home are more pessimistic than ever about getting on the property ladder, according to research.
Two thirds of non-homeowners told a Halifax survey they can't see how they can afford to buy.
BBC News website readers have been sharing their experiences.
Victoria Bishop, Hereford
I'm 26 and my boyfriend is 30 and we have been wanting to buy a house now for two to three years.
But even though we have good jobs - I'm a transport planner and my boyfriend's a graphic designer - and we earn a semi-decent wage, we are unable to save for a deposit as we currently rent.
In Herefordshire house prices are nine times the average salary so it is going to take us even longer than most people to save a decent deposit.
It is going to take us at least six to seven years to save enough even for 5%.
I think something has to be done to allow first-time buyers back into the market especially where they can prove they can repay the mortgage and have good jobs.
Charlie Barker, Northampton
All this is ridiculous. I am a first-time buyer and I bought my house in 2009 when I was 23 with no help from my parents.
I went in half and half with my brother. Bottom line, save your money.
From everything I have seen, young people can't afford to get on the property ladder because they binge drink every Saturday night and blow all their money.
I don't drink, don't smoke, lived at home with parents for two years after university and saved up a deposit.
Now I own a three-bedroom terraced house and rent out two of the rooms. People need to stop whinging and tighten their belts and save.
Paul and Ellie Wittle, Taunton
We really want to get on the property ladder but we can't even afford a cheap house in the current market.
Given the house prices, surely the cheaper houses are most likely to end in negative equity so it is pretty much a double hit.
We are calling on the builders and homeowners to support the rent-to-buy schemes.
These schemes allow people to rent for a couple of years and half of the rent is saved or invested and then used to put down a deposit on a mortgage.
With ever-soaring house prices this sort of scheme may be the markets only hope.
Aimee Rolls, Woking
I certainly feel that there is a lack of support for young people looking to buy.
I cannot afford anything but to rent, with the situation being the way it is - and landlords are cashing in on this.
I'm living in a shared house with six other people who also can't afford to buy their own place.
Not just 20 to 25-year-olds, but people in their 30s and 40s all stuck with the prospect of renting.
With rent rising also, I'm looking at staying where I am for a long time - I can't afford to move anywhere else.