More people in their late twenties & early thirties moving back in with their parents

The number of people in England & Wales who've had to move back in with their parents over the last decade has risen by 15%

Author: Chris Davis-SmithPublished 11th May 2023

Around 5-million so-called "boomerangs" and "barnacles" are still living at home in England and Wales - including in South Yorkshire - which's a rise of nearly 15 percent on a decade ago.

They're terms which refer to adult children who've either returned to the household after studying, or never moved out at all.

30-year-old Tom Field moved back in at his parents' house in Sheffield last year to try & save up for a mortgage deposit - after renting in Leeds for seven years before that:

"I'm lucky to have parents who'd have me back. A lot of people don't get the option.

"In terms of savings, it's astronomical what you can save living with somebody and paying a lesser rent compared to what you may've been paying before.

"Having rented for so long, it's sort of difficult to boost your own deposit based on the rent rates these days when you look at the money you end up being left with at the end of the month.

"Moving back home with the parents was the only sort of option I had really.

"They're good enough to charge me far less for living here compared to what my rent would've been, so it's a bit of a no brainer.

"This scenario isn't ideal at my age, but that's just the nature of the market these days and I can't see this trend breaking any time soon.

"Landlords aren't getting taxed enough of second properties, which means there's more properties available to rent, rather than to buy.

"There's not enough housing overall for younger people who're trying to get on the property ladder."

Census data shows more than one in ten people in that category are in their early thirties.

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