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Mortgages

Quarter of working young people forced to live with parents

Adam Williams
Written By:
Adam Williams
Posted:
Updated:
05/12/2014

More than a quarter of working 20- to 34-year-olds still live with their parents, with many unable to afford to buy or rent a place of their own.

In some areas of the country almost half of young working people cannot afford to leave the family home, research from Shelter found.

Two-thirds of respondents said housing affordability was a factor in their continued living arrangements with nearly half (48%) stating it was the single biggest factor.

The charity said the average price for first-time buyers had increased 11.3% to £202,000 last year, while wages for the under-30s have fallen by 13% in real terms since 2007.

Castle Point in Canvey, Essex topped the chart with 44.2% of its 20-34s living with their parents. South Staffordshire in the West Midlands (41.6%) and Rochford in East Essex (41.5%) completed the top three.

At 21%, London had the lowest percentage of 20-34s living at home. However, when considering all adults almost one-in-ten (9.4%) people live at home in the capital, including 100,000 over-35s.

The Shelter report said: “Adults living at home with their parents into their 20s and 30s, even if working, is just one of the many symptoms of the housing crisis.

“This report reveals the numbers, exact locations and reasons why for the first time, showing just how critical it is for us to build the affordable housing needed by this and future generations of young people.”