Energy prices rising, rents soaring at 9% a year, house prices at - or close to - record highs: it is easy to see why more people are still living in the family home in their 20s.
That is particularly true of adult sons still living with their mums. But does it work?
"He pays us rent. He's as good as gold. He's contributing to the household," says Anne Thompson, about her son Will. But he's not perfect.
"I'm still doing his washing."
For his part, Will, who is approaching his 25th birthday, says living with his mum works. However, he would love to move out and move on but prices are too high where they live in Cornwall.
"I want to do my own thing but Covid didn't do us any favours," he says. He looked at one flat just before the pandemic, only to find the rent had tripled following the lockdowns that made coastal and rural properties more popular.
Young men struggle to move out
Young, often single, adults say there is a lack of available and affordable homes to rent or buy, even when they have a frugal lifestyle.
Judging by responses to our Your Voice, Your BBC News project, it is a subject of huge frustration across the UK.
It is also expanding the generation unable to fly the nest.
The proportion of 25 to 34-year-olds still living with their parents has increased by more than a third in nearly two decades, according to a recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Men are more likely to stay in the family home than women - with nearly a quarter of this age group failing to fly the nest. The sharpest rise has been among those in their 20s.
Bee Boileau, research economist at the IFS and an author of the report, says some are back with parents owing to a financial shock, but many simply can't afford to live independently.
NHS administration manager Kieran Fifield is among them. "It's an open house!" he says.
He and his brother live at home with their mum, Tracey. Their dad died in 2022.
"My mum would do anything to keep us at home all the time," he says of their strong family unit and her refusal to accept rent.
His girlfriend stays at the weekends which is fine "because it's not the 1890s", he says.
Again, Covid was a factor. He stayed in university halls of residence for five months, but the pandemic temporarily closed them down and forced him to complete his studies back at home. The cost of rental property on the southern coast of England means he has not left.
"It would take up half of our combined income and make it much harder to save for our own place," he says.
On Friday, the City regulator - the Financial Conduct Authority, said it would consider loosening strict lending rules to help first-time buyers and others purchase a home.
Aside from finances, how do these 20-somethings prevent their parents cramping their style when they are under the same roof?
Will Thompson admits there can be friction. He says his mum considers the kitchen as her territory.
Anne says there is a risk he stays "in a permanent state of teenagerhood", but Will says she still asks where he is going and who with.
"Parents love you unconditionally, but they do worry," he says.
Kieran Fifield says he has to accept that he lives in his mum's home, so he can't put his design and stamp on anything beyond his own room.
Ultimately, they all consider it a mostly positive experience, albeit one they would not necessarily choose.
Finding a balance
Others have spoken to the BBC about how they make the arrangement work.
One said she had a nice balance having lived back with her mum for the last five years, by having her freedom but enjoying film nights together.
Another said the compromise was the only way he could realistically save for a deposit to buy his own home.
Such a deposit amounts to tens of thousands of pounds, and a recent survey by Barclays suggested that an increasing number of those who have moved out of the family home still need financial help from their parents.
It said nearly six in 10 renters believed that it would be impossible to buy a home without an inheritance or loan from a family member.
So, it seems many of those who have managed to fly will still need help from their parents to buy their own nest.
How you can get to the front of the renting queue
Agents say there are some simple ways to make it easier to secure a rental property, including:
- Start searching well before a tenancy ends and sign up with multiple agents
- Have payslips, a job reference, and a reference from a previous landlord to hand
- Build up a relationship with agents in the area, but be prepared to widen your search
- Be sure of your budget and calculate how much you can offer upfront
- Be aware that some agents offer sneak peeks of properties on social media before listing them
BBC News
Archive [January 19 2025]
