First Time Buyers: Young Adults Turning To Grandparents For Help To Get On Property Ladder

First Time Buyers Turn To 'Bank Of Granny And Grandpa'

Young adults looking to get on the property ladder are turning to the "bank of granny and grandpa" to help them raise a deposit, as the "bank of mum and dad" is also facing a tough time financially, a survey has suggested.

One in 10 young adults said they had asked their grandparents for financial help to buy their first home, according to the study from housebuilder Taylor Wimpey.

On Friday, a separate study revealed that the cost of moving house has risen at a faster rate than house prices have themselves over the last decade, a study has suggested.

Parents are seeing their children live in the family home for longer as they struggle to raise a large deposit.

But many are unable to also help out with extra cash to help them move out, having seen their own finances squeezed by high living costs, deteriorating employment conditions and a lack of real returns on savings.

Some 65% of parents said they did not have any spare funds to help their children with a deposit and nearly a quarter said they were struggling to keep afloat themselves.

The survey also found that one in 10 young people still living with their parents feared they could be in their late 40s or early 50s before they are able to fly the nest.

Dr Jane Hamlett, a lecturer in modern British history at Royal Holloway, University of London, said the trend for children living longer at home was "almost like a return to the Victorian era".

She said: "It was very commonplace around 100 years ago for adults to live with their parents into their 30s as they saved to establish a home of their own.

"Women quite often didn't leave the family until they got married. In fact, some married couples would stay living with their parents if they didn't have enough money to move out.

"It was only in the mid 20th century that we became used to adults being able to live more independently at a younger age. And of course losing this independence can easily lead to frustration and family conflicts."

Despite the prolonged wait to buy a house, 35% of young people said they were not prepared to give up holidays while they saved for a deposit and more than a quarter said they would not give up buying new clothes or eating out.

Only one in five would consider buying with friends, taking in a lodger or moving to a cheaper location.

The study questioned 1,000 young people and 1,000 parents.

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