A new survey by Shelter Scotland, carried out by YouGov on their behalf, has found that a majority of people in Scotland want house prices to either remain at their current levels, or fall.

The research revealed that 66% of people wanted house prices to remain the same or go down in value, while 64% said they felt house prices in Britain are too high.

Some 77% also believe there is a critical need for the government to make housing more affordable for young couples and families.

The results follows newly released figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which show that in the 12 months to August 2013, UK house prices increased by 3.8%.


In Scotland, there was a fall of 0.7%, with the average mix-adjusted house price standing at £185,000.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: "These days high house prices don't have the feel-good factor they once did, and for good reason. With an entire generation frozen out of home-ownership and being squeezed by high rents, there are lessons to be learned from the boom era - and the majority of people in Scotland agree.

"It's hard to understand then why Westminster is rushing out the Help to Buy scheme when all the evidence shows that it won't actually help the families who need it most.

"In fact, Help to Buy risks making the problem far worse by going back to the bad old days of big mortgages and easy lending. There is a real danger it will push up house prices, making it even harder for people to find a home they can afford."

(JP/CD)