NAB has increased its minimum deposits for loans in “risky” suburbs up to 30 per cent in what will come as more bad news for first home-buyers.

A list of 600 suburbs and towns broken up into two groups were sent out to mortgage brokers last weeks, with “Group A” – consisting of rural areas – capped at 70 per cent of the property’s value, while “Group B” is capped at 80 per cent.

The news comes as Westpac is also understood to have tightened lending, while Macquarie Bank enforced stricter regulations on high-risk suburbs earlier this year.

Featuring suburbs such Chippendale, Barangaroo and Homebush, as well as the Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide CBDs, according to John Flavell, Mortgage Choice chief executive, the recent changes will make it increasingly difficult for young Australians to purchase their first home.

“The reality is, property is expensive across Australia and many first home-buyers are being forced to put their property ownership goals on the backburner,” said Flavell.

“I understand that Australia’s lenders have to make some tough decisions sometimes, but while these changes will reduce the bank’s level of risk,” he said, “they will also make it harder for first home-buyers to get their foot on the property ladder.”

The fact that property prices are growing faster than wages marks a time where first home-buyers who are already struggling to fork out a 10 per cent deposit will now be forced to pay double or in some locations triple that amount, with a Mortgage Choice survey revealing one in three first home-buyers are taking more than five years to afford a deposit.

“The reality is house price growth continues to outpace the growth in incomes, which means first home-buyers are forced to save for longer,” Flavell said.

The suburbs affected by the price increase are listed below.