Anne Thompson
Anne and Will Thompson have adapted to their living conditions
Rising energy prices, rents rising 9% per year, property prices at or near record highs: it’s easy to understand why more people are still living in the family home in their twenties.
This is especially true for adult sons still living with their mothers. But does it work?
“He pays us rent. He’s worth gold. He contributes to the household,” Anne Thompson says of her son Will. But it’s not perfect.
“I’m still doing his laundry.”
For his part, Will, who is approaching 25, says that living with his mother works. However, he would love to move out and relocate, but the prices are too high where they live in Cornwall.
“I want to do my own thing but Covid hasn’t done us any favors,” he says. He inspected an apartment just before the pandemic, only to find that the rent had tripled following lockdowns which made coastal and rural properties more popular.
Young men find it difficult to move
Young adults, often single, say there is a lack of available, affordable housing to rent or buy, even when they live a frugal lifestyle.
Judging by the responses to our Your Voice, Your BBC News project, this is a topic of great frustration across the UK.
This also increases the flightless generation from the nest.
The proportion of 25 to 34 year olds still living with their parents has increased by more than a third in almost two decades, according to a recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Men are more likely to stay in the family home than women – with almost a quarter of this age group failing to leave the nest. The largest increase was recorded among people in their 20s.
Bee Boileau, a research economist at the IFS and author of the report, says some are returning to their parents due to financial shock, but many simply cannot afford to live independently.
Kieran Fifield
Kieran Fifield says family is important to him
NHS chief executive Kieran Fifield is one of them. “It’s an open day!” he said.
He and his brother live at home with their mother, Tracey. Their father died in 2022.
“My mother would do anything to keep us home all the time,” he says of their strong family unit and his refusal to accept rent.
His girlfriend is staying the weekend, which is good “because it’s not the 1890s,” he says.
Again, Covid was a factor. He stayed in university residences for five months, but the pandemic temporarily closed them and forced him to complete his studies at home. The cost of rental property on the south coast of England means it hasn’t gone away.
“That would eat up half of our combined income and make it much harder to save for our own housing,” he says.
On Friday, the City regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, said it would consider easing strict lending rules to help first-time buyers and other home buyers.
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Beyond the financial aspects, how do these twenty-somethings avoid their parents getting in the way of their style when they are under the same roof?
Will Thompson admits there can be friction. He says his mother considers the kitchen her territory.
Anne says there is a risk he will remain “in a permanent state of adolescence”, but Will says she always asks where he is going and with whom.
“Parents love you unconditionally, but they worry,” he says.
Kieran Fifield says he has to come to terms with living in his mother’s house, so he can’t put his design and imprint on anything beyond his own bedroom.
Ultimately, they all consider it a pretty positive experience, even if they wouldn’t necessarily choose it.
Find a balance
Others have spoken to the BBC about how they make this arrangement work.
One said she had a good balance after living with her mother for the past five years, having her freedom while enjoying movie nights together.
Another said compromise was the only realistic way for him to save for his own home.
Such a deposit amounts to tens of thousands of pounds, and a recent Barclays survey suggests that a growing number of those who have left home still need financial help from their parents.
Nearly six in ten renters think it would be impossible to buy a home without an inheritance or loan from a family member.
So it seems that many of those who successfully flew will still need help from their parents to purchase their own nest.
How to get to the front of the rental queue
Agents say there are simple ways to make securing a rental property easier, including:
Start your research well before a rental ends and register with multiple agents. Have payslips, an employment reference and a reference from a previous owner to hand over. Build a relationship with agents in the area, but be prepared to broaden your search. Be sure of your budget and calculate. how much you can offer upfrontBe aware that some agents preview properties on social media before listing them
You’ll find more advice here and help with your rental rights here.
