New research by housing charity Shelter shows it is nearly 65 per cent harder for first time buyers to climb onto the property ladder in Scotland than it was ten years ago.

The shocking report, published exclusively in Shelter's ROOF magazine, shows the struggle faced by first time buyers keen to secure their first home.

The annual ROOF Affordability Index assesses housing affordability by comparing mortgage costs against household's incomes.

And the figures show the cost of housing and what people can afford is widening every year - with Scottish first time buyers facing dramatic rises in unaffordability.

Shelter Scotland director, Archie Stoddart, said: 'These figures show that the gulf between those who can afford to buy and those who can't is widening at an alarming rate. For first time buyers, the housing ladder is becoming a housing tightrope.'

He warned: 'Buying a home is becoming an ever-more distant dream for first time buyers and as housing becomes increasingly unaffordable, we fear that repossessions are likely to spiral and more families will face the nightmare of homelessness.'

The main findings of the exclusive ROOF Affordability Index, devised by Professor Steve Wilcox of York University, show:

• The Index stands at 153.8, compared with 94.6 in 1996, meaning it is 63 per cent harder for first time buyers in 2006 than it was ten years previously, and the hardest it has been since the Index began in 1994.
• In Scotland, house prices for first time buyers jumped 9 per cent in the last year (from £85,501 to £92,894), against 3 per cent in England (£149,529 to £153,752).
• The average monthly mortgage repayments of a first time buyer are almost £483, compared with £200 in 1996.
• Mortgage repayment costs swallowed up 14.3 per cent of the average household's income, compared with 8.8 per in 1996.

Mr Stoddart added: 'Spiralling house prices are forcing first time buyers into taking drastic measures to get onto the housing ladder, like signing up to mortgages of six or seven times their salaries.

'We need to ensure that those people keen for their first home don't have buying as their only option. Scotland needs more affordable housing for rent. Prospective politicians in the forthcoming election must see housing as a key issue.'

To subscribe to ROOF magazine go to www.roofmag.org.uk     

Notes to Editors

1. The ROOF Affordability Index provides a unique measure of how easy or difficult households find it to become homeowners. Unlike traditional measures of housing affordability, the index uses average mortgage costs (and hence takes account of variations in interest rates) and uses specially commissioned data on the incomes of all working families rather than just those households that succeed in accessing the housing market.
2. Copies of the ROOF Affordability Index, including a full breakdown of regional statistics are available from the Shelter media office.
3. Shelter Scotland, along with other housing organisations, are calling for 30,000 affordable rented homes for Scotland through this year's comprehensive spending review. For more information visit the media room at www.shelter.org.uk/csr_media
4. Shelter believes everyone should have a home and helps 170,000 people a year fight for their rights, get back on their feet, and find and keep a home. We also tackle the root causes of Britain's housing crisis by campaigning for new laws, policies and solutions. 
5. Spokespeople are available for interview, telephone the media office on 0844 515 2442. An ISDN line number is available for broadcast interviews.
6. For more information about Shelter visit www.shelter.org.uk