Industry is urging the coalition government not to abandon HomeBuy Direct in its October spending review. <br> <br> HBF said that since 2008, the government-backed scheme had helped 10,000 first time buyers onto the property ladder. “There is widespread concern that its funding won’t be renewed after September this year,” HBF said. <br> <br> HBF highlighted the importance of HomeBuy Direct in its submission to the Treasury on the spending review. It separately revealed that there were at present fewer first time buyers than at any time in the past 35 years, and that the average age of an unassisted first time buyer was now 37. <br> <br> “HomeBuy Direct has helped 10,000 first time buyers get a foot on the ladder; scrapping it will move that rung further away for many more,” said HBF’s executive chairman Stewart Baseley. <br> <br> HBF’s submission to the Treasury also included a plea to government to retain a scheme similar to Kickstart and to define affordable housing. <br> <br>