While some challenges are universal, the difficulty of getting on the housing ladder depends largely on where in the country a person is based.
At the end of 2025, the three most affordable areas to live in Great Britain were East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, and Aberdeenshire.
In total, nine of the 10 most affordable areas were in Scotland, with Harborough in the East Midlands the 10th.
The three least affordable areas were Hackney, Westminster, and Tower Hamlets, with all the top 10 in London.
The report did highlight positive aspects of the housing market.
The changes over recent decades mean people are now likely to purchase a “bigger, better-quality, cheaper-to-run home than at any other time this century”, it said.
It also noted an increase in the number of first-time buyers purchasing houses, rather than flats.