According to Atelier, approximately 90,000 newly built homes in the UK are empty because potential buyers cannot afford the necessary deposit. The average deposit amount required is around £70,493, making it difficult for many first-time buyers to enter the property market. Atelier is urging mortgage lenders to increase their loan-to-value (LTV) ratios in order to attract these buyers and alleviate the housing crisis. Despite government initiatives such as the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, uptake among lenders has been minimal. Atelier argues that concerns about negative equity are exaggerated, as UK house prices have not fallen as much as predicted and mortgage arrears and repossessions are low. Chris Gardner, joint CEO of Atelier, believes that higher LTVs from lenders would help address the current stagnation in the market and enable properties to be purchased by those they were intended for. He emphasizes that action from mortgage lenders is necessary, rather than waiting for government intervention.