I meant to say, a 10% deposit would leave us with a large mortgage that would cost more per month than our rent currently does. I think this is the other fallacy, mortgages aren't necessarily cheaper each month than rent now because they are so huge. My uncle can't understand why we pay so much rent and was telling me that a mortgage would "only be £x" but I'd need such an enormous mortgage that it would be a more expensive payment each month than my already extortionate rent.
Your reply where you mention how it was like paying two mortgages/you had to quickly get another job... the tone is still very much suggesting that you had it hard and others must be feckless/not prepared to work etc.
It simply isn't true. We work really hard and don't do anything - no meals out or holidays yet we struggle.
Someone on NMW, working 37 hours a week, takes home approx £1100 a month. The average house price in the UK is about 200k. So a couple on NMW would need to save 20k for a 10% deposit (not allowing for all other associated costs which can be a few thousand), so around 75% of their combined annual income. Buying alone someone on a low wage would need a deposit of 130%ish of their annual take home pay and 105% if they bought at the lowest average price.
Compare to when you were on £5k and paid out £3k deposit - you needed 60% of your annual income as a deposit if buying alone. But you say we so I'm assuming you bought together. If your partner was also on £5k then you needed to save just 30% of your combined annual salary to get the deposit together.
In my area the average house price is more like £300k and a modest house in a crap area you could hope for £200k. It's extraordinarily difficult to save enough especially if you come from a background like mine where you were thrown into renting young and became stuck, which isn't uncommon.