Bryony Jones did not expect to be moving back in with her parents at the age of 37 – especially not with her husband Kieran, their toddler, and another baby on the way.

It was 2021, and catering director Kieran had been made redundant. Bryony, who works as an operations manager, had recently started in a new role, so was only eligible for statutory maternity pay.

“We knew instantly that we weren’t going to be able to make our rent, and it was quite scary,” she says.

“We asked my parents, can we move in with you?”

Bryony’s parents, Ian and Ann Saunders, agreed. Both households rented in Hove, but if the arrangement were to work, they would need a larger house.

They began searching for a new rental together, and eventually found a spacious farmhouse in the South Downs that had also been used for multi-generational living by the previous tenants, moving in November 2021.

Bryony said: “I saw it as a temporary financial fix. I didn’t see us all being here together five years later.”

The number of families opting for similar living arrangements is growing. There are an estimated 1.8 million multi-generational households in the UK – equivalent to 7 per cent – according to analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Survey.

“We’re seeing a clear rise in buyers who want a property that can work for more than one generation, and it’s being driven by necessity as much as choice,” says James Greenwood at Stacks Property Search.

“Care home fees have soared, and many families would rather have a parent nearby than in residential care. At the same time, young adults who can’t afford to rent or buy are staying at home or moving back, and some are doing both at once.

“There are huge benefits for the families that get this right. I expect it to keep growing.”

She and Kieran are both 42, Ian is 70, Ann is 65, and their children are five and seven.

The rent, which the two couples split between them, works out cheaper than the £4,500 per month they had collectively paid for their houses in Hove.

Bills, too, are divided roughly equally, which involved frank discussions about their spending. “I wanted each of us to have a bill, because that’s good for your credit rating,” Bryony explains.

“No one likes to talk about money, but you have to have those awkward conversations.”

Overall, though, this approach saves both households money and provides financial stability.

“You don’t feel quite as vulnerable,” Bryony says. “It’s nice to have more than two billpayers, because if one falls out, it feels like your whole world has been turned upside down.”

The family shares a kitchen – and mostly cooks together – but both occupy opposite ends of the house, each with their own bathrooms, bedrooms and living spaces. The separation, says Bryony, is important.

“There is the ability to go and hide, and the children have grown up respecting that. They barely go into [their grandparents’ end] without being asked, and if they do, they always knock first. Even when I go in there, I feel like I’m going to a [different] house.”

Bryony said in terms of childcare, it felt important not to abuse this. Instead, the couple pay Ian for twice-weekly childcare, agreeing on a slightly discounted price.

This keeps the money in the family and means their children have forged strong relationships with their grandparents.

“It ticks everyone’s boxes, and it works really well for us. We have got our babysitters on tap, so we do get to go out more, but it means that I don’t feel like I’m taking them for granted.”

Bryony, who shares her experience on her socials (@oursussexfarmhouse), said: “[The decision] was through desperation and necessity. I was embarrassed, moving back in with my parents. Back then, I wouldn’t have called it multi-generational living. Now, it feels like a choice. We probably could move out, but we’re all enjoying it.”

With Ann approaching retirement, Bryony is aware that the arrangement has a “sell-by date”, as it will become unaffordable with only two earners.

“We’re just taking each day as it comes. It’s an adventure, and I’m glad we’ve done it. I think it’s a chapter in our life that everyone will remember fondly.”

Insurance for the future

Similarly, for 37-year-old Rochelle Hearl, her husband Matt and their four children, moving in with Rochelle’s mum Mandy was a way to future-proof their living arrangements.

The two households were already neighbours: Rochelle and Matt had bought Rochelle’s grandparents’ house in Cornwall, and 60-year-old Mandy lived in the bungalow behind it, which had belonged to her own grandparents.

“We realised we were basically multi-generational living, just with separate title deeds,” Rochelle says.

“To walk door to door between those houses is fewer footsteps than it is now. That was what started the conversation.”

As an only child, and with Mandy having raised her alone, social worker Rochelle was worried about the potential cost of care.

“We thought about it for a long time, researched it a lot, and thought of every scenario.”

The solution, they decided, was to sell their two neighbouring houses, buy a larger one nearby and build a self-contained annexe in the garden for Mandy.

Rochelle and Matt paid for the property, which cost £650,000, with Mandy gifting them some money towards the purchase and footing the bill for the annexe.

So far, this has cost around £130,000 – less than two years’ worth of care home fees, says Rochelle.
The family moved in September last year and began construction on the annexe in April. By August, it was ready for Mandy to move in.

The one-bedroom annexe has its own kitchen and living space and feels like a separate house, says Rochelle. “Most people say: ‘I couldn’t live with my mum’. But I’m not – my mum lives in the garden.”

The two households eat separately – although Mandy comes round for Sunday lunch – and they are careful to give each other space.

“If we were sharing cooking space, it wouldn’t work. My mum likes her own space, and I think when we’re a busy family, it’s more important that doesn’t encroach on her. She can be in her kitchen having a peaceful dinner, while ours is the complete opposite.”

Childcare is also not part of the living arrangement. Rochelle and Matt have three teenagers and a toddler. “People think that it’s a live-in babysitter, but it’s definitely not,” says Rochelle. “She’s not being taken advantage of by raising another child. But equally, we’ve got a bit more support.”

So far, the move has lowered costs for the family: there is no council tax for the annexe, and the energy and maintenance bills are much smaller than for a whole house. The family split bills together, with Mandy’s contribution based on her previous usage.

“It just brings families a bit closer together,” says Rochelle, who has also shared her experience online to inspire others (@granny_in_ourgarden).

“I think it instils family values, really, of families being together. This will be our forever home. In the future, the children might want to live here, with me and my husband in the annexe. You don’t know what it will look like.”