Buying a home for the first time is fraught with obstacles. First there’s the task of raising a decent deposit, then there’s ensuring earnings allow you to borrow enough on a mortgage for the kind of property you would like, in the area you’d like to live in. There’s also the long list of costs such as stamp duty and legal fees.

Many parents of first-time buyers are continuing to offer help from the so-called bank of mum and dad – once described as the UK’s sixth largest lender – to take some of the financial strain.