ScarletRose: It's the same problem over here, thanks to a period when house prices and the selling rules were abused, house prices increased to the point where your average hard working Joe can't afford a decent house, or has taken out a stupid mortgage which is now leaving many in the state where their house could be repossessed. And thanks to negative equity through house prices dropping, they are looking at still being burden by a big debt.

That's why the call for more social housing over here is so big. It would have been sorted some years back but dear ol' Maggie Thatchers government stopped councils from reinvesting money gained from the selling of council properties to long term tenants from being put into building schemes.

Yet, one good thing is now there is a scheme in social housing where people can part rent and part buy their properties. Giving them a reasonable start into the housing system without the high mortgages.