Keeping a roof over ones head

House prices are now six times the salary of the average Scot, according to new government figures revealed yesterday.
The statistics show that the average house price of £137,192 is running out of reach of the £22,261 median salary.

First-time buyers with little or no savings are being faced with debilitating interest rates as the industry recoils, and many young people can't buy without parents' help. The pressure on those with low incomes was highlighted by one case where a couple with a joint income of £26,000 were paying £700 a month in mortgage repayments.

Don Fleming, of the Mortgage Advice Network said in one instance a lender was offered a 95% mortgage and as soon as the papers were signed a further 30% loan was offered as a top-up because the person was then classed as a property owner. He said: "Lenders were calling it flexibility, but what they mean is they are pulling the wool over society's eyes. Government should have stepped in to stop people receiving large unsecured loans."