The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) is asking the government to direct its attention to the change that is occurring in the housing market. They believe that young families in Britain will no longer be able to work toward home ownership. Instead, they believe many will be facing a lifetime of renting.

They point out that for some homes the deposit required for purchase is more than an average income, in some cases the deposit is almost double the average income. Property analyst group, Hometrack, released information that shows a person that makes 50,000 pounds a year could only afford a two-bedroom flat in the lowest price range. Even with low interest rates available the requirements from lenders can not be met by most.

CIH is also concerned about those in the 12,000 to 25,000 pounds annual income range. They are too well off financially to apply for benefit housing and too poor to afford home ownership.

CIH chief executive, Sarah Webb, said: "This idea that an Englishman's home is his castle gained momentum in the 1980s with right-to-buy, and then post the 1990s downturn when people saw owning a home as not just accumulating somewhere to live but also an investment," she said. "That home ownership is out of reach for a lot of people and we need to move to a situation where renting is a positive choice. A golden age of home ownership is coming to an end. The time has come to move away from the notion of 'right-to-buy' and 'wrong-to-rent'."

David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation said the country is "in the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis."