Significant proportions of first-time buyers (FTBs) are leaving themselves in danger of having to make claims on their home insurance - by rushing into purchases without making proper checks of the property they are going to buy, a new report claims.

A study from AA Legal Services states that around 20 per cent of house buyers between the ages of 18 to 29 are failing to carry out any basic assessment of their property before they buy it - and, as a result, around 66 per cent of these individuals fall victim to unexpected problems in their first year of property ownership.

Structural problems were a source of a significant proportion of these complaints - with fewer than one in three homeowners seeking out an independent structural survey before buying their new property.

Common structural defects included leaking roofs, rotten windows, draughts, drainage problems and rising damp. Traffic noise and lack of parking space were also cited on the list.

"Young home buyers now taking out mortgages which they will be paying off for the next 50 or so years so they should feel confident about the investment they are making," James Molloy, head of AA Legal Services, commented.

"Simple legal and structural checks not only give peace of mind, but could also avoid costly surprises."

A recent report from the Council of Mortgage Lenders revealed that FTBs are facing increasing income multiples in their attempts to get on the housing market.