大象传媒

We've all daydreamed about where our ideal home would be and what it would look like.

But do you know how much it would cost to live there? Does reality match up with the fantasy? According to the latest , getting on the property ladder nowadays can be pretty difficult.

We spoke to three young people about their dream accommodation vs where they can realistically live, and how they think the housing gap can be closed.

A screenshot of Neariah, a black 18-year-old woman from London.
Image caption,
Neariah says she'd be comfortable living in a small space

Neariah, 18, London

The house of my dreams would be a penthouse, because I鈥檓 not really that into houses. I like to be on the top floor of things so that I can see the cityscape, see the landscape. I鈥檓 not very materialistic so it would just have the necessities.

I think I would rent an apartment in the future with multiple people, rather than living by myself in a house because that just seems to be far too expensive. I spend most of my time in my room so I wouldn鈥檛 need to have an upstairs and a downstairs.

The topic of housing never comes up in conversations with my friends. We just all agree that we鈥檇 never be able to afford a house of our own, because the houses in London are very expensive. Even the house I live in now, I鈥檝e lived in it since I was born, and the price of it has just gone up even though it鈥檚 kind of small鈥 so we鈥檙e very pessimistic when it comes to the topic of housing.

Renting with people is easier than deciding who鈥檚 paying how much of the mortgage, so I think renting is a better idea, especially long term because you can just break out whenever you need to.

A screenshot of Neariah, a black 18-year-old woman from London.
Image caption,
Neariah says she'd be comfortable living in a small space
A screenshot of Scott, a 16-year-old white male from Glasgow. He is wearing a white shirt and a grey tie and is stood against a white background.
Image caption,
Scott would like a house with a garage

Scott, 16, Glasgow

The house of my dreams would probably be a modern home, quite large, with a garage. In the future I think I鈥檒l probably live in a larger home than I do now, probably one of the new ones.

I do talk about housing with friends of mine, particularly friends of mine that are a wee bit older, and are closer to actually buying a home, or renting one permanently. I do see myself as buying a home at some point in the future but I think I鈥檓 also hoping to rent a home.

To change the housing situation in the UK, if I could look at it, I would build more homes but I do understand that it can stress the finances of the government. There are a lot of vacant homes in the UK, particularly in big cities such as London, Glasgow and Manchester, so I think by renting those homes out to people it could actually solve a lot of problems, or at least put a dent in it.

A screenshot of Scott, a 16-year-old white male from Glasgow. He is wearing a white shirt and a grey tie and is stood against a white background.
Image caption,
Scott would like a house with a garage
A screenshot of Jess, an 18-year-old white female. She is sat in an armchair against a grey background.
Image caption,
Jess wants a comfortable family home in a quiet street

Jess, 18, Manchester

The house of my dreams looks like a 3-4 bedroomed house, sustainable and in the countryside. I鈥檇 also like to have a large kitchen-diner with an island in the middle, a big back garden and a garage.

Me and my friends have grown up in the same area and we've recently seen a big increase in the prices of houses and the price of rent, so we're all quite concerned that in the future we won鈥檛 be able to afford to live in the area that we grew up in. I would love to buy a house first-time round. However, because of the costs, I feel like it will prove quite tricky because I would have to be paying rent but also saving up for a deposit to put onto a house.

I鈥檇 like to see more affordable houses so that people who are first-time buyers and young people are able to buy a house, and I鈥檇 like to see more help and financial support for people to be able to get onto the property ladder, whether that鈥檚 helping with tax or helping with deposits.

A screenshot of Jess, an 18-year-old white female. She is sat in an armchair against a grey background.
Image caption,
Jess wants a comfortable family home in a quiet street