‘I live with my mother because I am not able to go out’

Energy prices are rising, rents are increasing at 9% per year, house prices are at – or close to – record highs: it’s easy to see why more people in their 20s are still in the family home. Are living.

This is especially true for adult sons who are still living with their mother. But does it work?

Anne Thompson says of her son Will, “He pays us rent. He’s as good as gold. He’s contributing to the house.” But he is not perfect.

“I’m still washing it.”

For his part, Will, who is approaching his 25th birthday, says living with his mother works. However, he would love to get out and move but prices are too high in Cornwall where they live.

“I wanted to do my own thing, but Covid didn’t do us any favours,” he says. He looked at a flat just before the pandemic, but found that the rent had tripled after the lockdown, which made the coastal city affordable. and had made rural properties more popular.

Young, often single, adults say there is a shortage of available and affordable homes to rent or buy, even if their lifestyles are frugal.

Making decisions based on our reactions Your voice, your BBC news The project, it is a matter of great disappointment throughout Britain.

It is also expanding the generation unable to fly the nest.

Proportion of 25 to 34 year olds still living with their parents Has increased by more than a third in almost two decadesAccording to a recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Men are more likely than women to stay in the family home – almost a quarter of people in this age group fail to fly the nest. The fastest increase has been among those over the age of 20.

Bee Boileau, research economist at the IFS and author of the report, says the financial shock has caused some people to move back in with their parents, but many cannot afford to live independently.

NHS administration manager Kieran Fifield is one of them. “This is an open house!” He says.

He and his brother live at home with their mother, Tracy. His father died in 2022.

“My mom would do anything to have us home all the time,” he says of their strong family unit and refusal to accept rent.

He says his girlfriend stays over for the weekend which is fine “because this isn’t the 1890s”.

Again, Covid was a factor. He lived in the university’s residence halls for five months, but the pandemic temporarily closed them and forced him to complete his studies at home. The price of rental property on the south coast of England means he hasn’t left.

“This will consume half of our combined income and make it very difficult for us to save,” he says.

On Friday, the city regulator – the Financial Conduct Authority – said it would consider Relaxing strict lending rules To help first time home buyers and others purchase a home.

Finances aside, how do these 20-somethings keep their parents from lacking in their style when they’re under the same roof?

Will Thompson admits there may be differences of opinion. He says that his mother considers kitchen as her area.

Anne says he’s at risk of being “permanently a teenager”, but Will says she still asks where he’s going and who he’s going with.

“Parents love you unconditionally, but they also worry,” he says.

Kieran Fifield says he has to accept that he lives in his mother’s house, so he can’t put his design and stamp on anything beyond his room.

Ultimately, they all consider it a mostly positive experience, even if they wouldn’t necessarily choose it.

Others have spoken to the BBC about how they operate the arrangement.

One said that having lived with her mother for the past five years, she has a good balance because she enjoys her independence as well as movie nights.

Another said settlement was the only way he could realistically save up a deposit to buy his own home.

Such deposits amount to thousands of pounds, and a recent survey by Barclays showed that a growing number of people who have moved out of the family home still need financial support from their parents.

It said almost six in 10 tenants believed 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 have managed to fly will still need help from their parents to purchase their own nest.

Agents say there are some simple ways to make it easier to secure a rental property, including:

• Start searching and sign up with multiple agents before the tenancy ends
• Have pay slips, job reference and previous landlord reference handy
• Build relationships with agents in the area, but be prepared to broaden your search
• Be sure of your budget and calculate how much advance you can offer
• Keep in mind that some agents preview properties on social media before listing them.

There are more tips Here and assistance with your rental rights Here,