One in seven young Britons (14 per cent) say they would buy a home with a stranger in a bid to get on the property ladder.

A new study of 2,000 Brits (aged 18 - 40)* by HSBC has revealed the true extent to which buying a property now feels increasingly out of reach for the younger generation, with 83 per cent claiming they may never be able to afford to buy their own property.

According to the report, 80 per cent would co-own a property with someone who is not their partner, with a further 59 per cent saying they're at least "open to the idea" of buying with a stranger - if they ticked all the right boxes.

Four per cent said they would be prepared to move in with "someone they met in the pub", while just under one in twenty would even consider buying with an ex.

As a result of the findings, HSBC is running a unique experimental speed dating event on February 15th, National Singles Awareness Day, to bring together people interested in meeting someone they could potentially co-buy with.

Chris Pearson, HSBC mortgages expert, said: "We understand the challenges that young buyers are facing today and that they are willing to think outside the box to get on the property ladder - even contemplating the idea of buying with a stranger. That's why we've run this research on the perfect homebuying partner and are holding Home Bae, the UK's first-ever speed dating event for co-buyers."

The study asked Brits to share their top criteria for their ideal buying partner from a personal and financial point of view.

The perfect 'home bae' would be a dab hand at DIY (39 per cent); love pets (37 per cent); enjoy a good BBC drama (19 per cent); be able to cook a cracking roast (18 per cent) - and (in an ideal world) not a vegetarian or vegan (24 per cent).

The all-important financial criteria are paying the bills on time (80 per cent); having a good credit rating (31 per cent); having monthly savings targets (19 per cent) and earning over £50,000 a year (18 per cent).

People said their pet peeves include extreme mess (67 per cent), irritating behaviour (61 per cent), someone bringing undesirable people home (42 per cent) and people not paying their share of household bills (30 per cent).

Chris Pearson said: "Buying a home is a life-changing financial commitment and there's no doubt this is an unorthodox way of doing it. People who are considering this step need to not only find someone responsible and compatible - they also need to dot every "I" and cross every "T" to avoid a difficult situation in the future, especially when it comes to selling. It's important to have a clear agreement in place from day one so you both know what's expected of you."

When asked why they'd buy a property with someone other than their partner, 33 per cent of Brits said it is because they simply can't save up enough money for a deposit on their own.

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