The UK’s adults remain attached to their parents’ home well into their 50s, despite the average person moving out at the age of 22, reveals the latest instalment of Post Office Mortgages’ Step Up’ Report.
As the struggle for housing space intensifies, UK adults remain reliant upon their family home to house old belongings – in many cases leaving their parents unable to utilise the space or downsize to a smaller home.
A fifth (20 per cent) of adults who have moved out continue to use their parents’ home as a storage facility, with this trend continuing well into those in their 50s (13 per cent). While the most commonly kept items, such as childhood toys and memorabilia, are kept for sentimental reasons (38 per cent), many are saved for purely practical purposes.
With many would-be movers priced out of the market and ‘Generation Rent’ forced to delay their housing dreams, over a third (36 per cent) simply do not have the space to store effects in their current home, and most are depending on their parent’s square-footage to help out.
Belongings Left Behind
| Total | Male | Female | |
| Childhood awards/certificates | 51% | 39% | 63% |
| Toys | 47% | 44% | 49% |
| Books/DVDs/videos | 45% | 44% | 46% |
| Schoolbooks/textbooks | 45% | 41% | 49% |
| Photos/posters | 43% | 39% | 47% |
| Collectible goods | 35% | 39% | 31% |
| Clothes | 32% | 29% | 36% |
| Sporting equipment | 17% | 23% | 11% |
Although many of these items might well be stored out of sight in attics or garages, there are certain households around the country where time has stayed still; 11 per cent of adults say their bedroom has remained the same as when they lived there.
However, taking care of their children’s belongings has meant some parents have had to delay their own next steps on the property ladder, with five per cent unable to move home or downsize as a result of this. Many parents with adult children still at home, or left housing their belongings after they have moved out, would otherwise have designs on their child’s room; guest bedrooms (41 per cent) and studies (19 per cent) rank highly on the list of alternative uses.
John Willcock, head of mortgages at Post Office said: “Space remains one of the biggest challenges facing homeowners, with many struggling to find enough of it in their first or even second homes. For most people, it’s simply easier to rely upon Mum and Dad for storage – which in some cases has stopped them from reclaiming the family home and forced them to put their own property plans on hold.
“For those wanting to move – either for more space – or to downsize, it is important to consider what sort of mortgage is right for you and take into account all fees and costs involved in the process to ensure your move can be affordable.”
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