The difficulty first-time buyers (FTBs) have in affording a deposit makes it very difficult for them to get on the property ladder, according to a finance group.

It was recently revealed by the National Association of Estate Agents that only 19% of those who bought a house in November were FTBs - the lowest proportion for 11 months.

Director of residential research at the firm, Lucian Cook, reacted to the data by stating that people looking to get onto the property ladder for the first time “still have very significant constraints on their ability to enter the market”.

He explained that loan-to-value ratios on mortgage deals are currently very high, meaning that larger deposits are originally needed to buy a house. In addition, these types of mortgages attract high interest rates, he said.

"For them to be able to access the mortgage market, they generally need to be able to rely on the bank of mum and dad," he added.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) recently reported that the number of loans for first-time buyers increased by 34% between October 2008 and October 2009, suggesting that more people are starting to get a grip on their personal income worries and managing to come up with the necessary deposits.