Well, Teribus, I can't speak for Guest and his son's circumstances as I don't know these folk (though I note that that particular impediment doesn't stop you from getting all judgemental...), but times have changed. When I bought my first house in 1978 I waltzed right into a 100% mortgage, scarcely a question asked, and I was at that time the only earner. Before that, there had been two massive house price booms, so when you were buying yours you were probably talking four figures or very low five figures for the house, right? A tad different today, huh? Ten percent deposit gets you a high interest rate today. Twenty percent gets you a better one but that means a deposit of 40 grand on a 200 grand house (not exactly a mansion anywhere, eh?) plus more renting plus removal costs. Yeah, he can always do a Tebbit and ride his bike to a different area, where his chances of getting a much better-paid job in today's climate are diddley-squat. And you have no right to make comments about his partner without knowing their precise circumstances, I reckon. Sadly, the world is not frozen in time in that rose-tinted era when you were buying your cheap houses, Mr Smugness-personified.