RICS call to help first-time buyers

Calls to give first-time buyers a stronger push on to the housing ladder have been made as a study found a high proportion of people are seeing deals fall through because they cannot get a mortgage.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) found that 38% of potential first-time buyers are trapped in the rental sector because they cannot raise a big enough deposit and meet the criteria to buy a home.