Research compiled by the NHBC Foundation shows that more than 1.8 million households in Britain contain two or more adult generations, yet most homes
on the market continue to be built to a traditional family home layout, without consideration for the shift towards multigenerational living.

The NHBC Foundation report: Multigenerational living – an opportunity for UK house builders? outlines the factors behind the trend using statistical analysis
as well as interviews with families. The report finds that the number of multigenerational households in the UK increased by 38% between 2009 and 2014, a rise driven largely by the number of adults aged over 25 who live with their parents. In contrast, the number of multigenerational families with grandparents living with them remained static during this period.

Although some people chose this lifestyle out of financial necessity, the report found that there was a variety of reasons why multigenerational households
were popular, including pooling resources to buy a larger property, help with childcare and providing support for older family members. Others enjoyed the
social benefit of living with more than one generation of their family.

– There is an estimated demand for 125,000 additional multigenerational homes per year in the UK
– Nearly 7% of UK households contain two or more adult generations
– Four out of five multigenerational households are White British, although some ethnic minority groups are more likely to adopt this lifestyle
– Multigenerational households are typically not large – the average two-adult generation household contains three people and the average multigenerational home has three bedrooms