One in four UK homeowners still call their childhood house ‘home’

More than a quarter (28 per cent) of UK homeowners still consider the main property they grew up in as ‘home,’ according to new research.

The latest Britain at Home report from Lloyds Bank Insurance reveals fewer than half (41 per cent) of homeowners feel their current property lives up to their expectations. Of those who feel less attached, the top reasons were that it wasn’t a ‘dream home’ (43 per cent), a family home (29 per cent) or in their desired area (26 per cent).

The research of 2,000 UK homeowners explores the relationship this group has with their current properties, compared to the homes in which they grew up.

As a fifth (22 per cent) of homeowners say that their family spends less time together at home now than when they were growing up in their main childhood home, this detachment could be part of a wider lifestyle shift.

Today’s homes have adapted to accommodate changing family dynamics, work and life patterns, with almost a third (31 per cent) of homeowners saying that working from home is more common in their household today than when they were youngsters. The report showed over a quarter (28 per cent) now have a home office whereas they did not in their main childhood home, compared to just 7 per cent who had one in their childhood home but not in their current home.

Fading traditional features which homeowners used to have in their childhood home but don’t today include the pantry (48 per cent) and the cellar (13 per cent) – compared to 5 per cent of homeowners who didn’t have a cellar in their childhood home but do have today – as homes become more open-plan and multi-purpose.

Over a quarter (28 per cent) say their home is used more for entertaining people now and a fifth (20  per cent) say that the media – including TV property programmes and magazines – has had more influence on their properties today, as DIY becomes a greater priority.

Two fifths (41 per cent) claim they spend more time on home improvement than their parents did.

Modern households are more cluttered than they were in the past, according to 60 per cent of homeowners who say they have more contents now compared to their childhood home.

The study found that the living room is now the most valuable in the home with contents worth a total of £5,031 on average.

The most popular household items are flat screen TVs, owned by 86 per cent of homeowners, followed by kitchen appliances including coffee machines (42 per cent and bread makers (30 per cent).