First time home buyers looking to purchase property within the UK housing market have options when it comes time to sign on the bottom line. One of those options is a government programme designed to help first timers known as Help to Buy. This enables many to afford the high cost of a down payment on a house which is within the set range. However, many potential buyers are facing a harsh reality when the house of their choosing is priced too high for even the scheme to help them.

The most recent research is painting a bleak picture for those first timers looking to purchase a home with assistance from Help to Buy. The price range for those looking to obtain assistance is less than £250,000 in regions other than London, and under £450,000 in the capital city.

Data from the BBC indicates average home prices have now crept beyond the limits of assistance from HTB. This is discouraging for many and places first timers in the unenviable position of having to stick it out at home and live with parents for a time.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, commented on the latest data, saying: "Soaring housing costs have left millions of people stuck in a rent trap and struggling to save anything towards a home of their own.

"The Help to Buy ISA only helps the lucky few who are better off, or able to live with their parents while they save for a deposit.

"For the vast majority of renters who want to move forward in life and put down roots, this scheme brings them no closer to that dream.”

Robb added: "If the government genuinely wants to help the nation's renters get a foot on the housing ladder, it needs to look beyond quick-fix schemes, and invest in homes that people on ordinary incomes can actually afford."