http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/jul/24/first-time-buyers-2billionpound-help-parents

So this shocked me a bit. The AVERAGE hand out from a parent for someone getting on the housing ladder is £17,000.

Let's say that again. £17,000. On average. Meaning many will get loads more.

That's just nuts, isn't it? Sure that's just 3 in 10 cases, but it's mad.

And this is another problem;

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/22/house-price-boom-children-victims

when parents start helping their kids out to this degree, it masks a wider problem. I guess when we bought our house, the only way we managed to get the final chunk we needed was because the wife's gran died and left us £4000 so we benefited from a family handout ourselves, but if this is going to increasingly become the only way people can get on the ladder, then that ladder is going to get even more difficult to take a first step on.