More than half of 'Mumlords and Dadlords' give rent back to help children buy their first home

54% of parents return some or all of the rent paid by their adult children to help them save for a deposit
Just over a third say their children are living at home specifically to save for a house deposit; 45% say they feel like a landlord to their own child
Parents charge £303 a month on average, rising to £415 in Greater London and dropping to £187 in Yorkshire and The Humber
82% of parents say rising housing costs make it more likely their adult children will continue living at home
Four in ten parents say their adult child cannot yet afford to move out

Britain’s ‘Mumlords and Dadlords’ are helping their adult children onto the housing ladder, with more than half of parents who charge rent using the money to help their offspring buy their first home, according to new research1 from Nationwide.

The findings highlight the increasingly important role families, and the family home, are playing in helping the next generation onto the housing ladder, with many parents using rent payments as a way of building a future deposit while their children continue living at home.

Parents turning rent into a route to homeownership:

The surveyed parents charge their adult children living at home an average of £303 per month in rent – equivalent to more than £3,600 a year.

However, the amount of rent paid varies considerably across the country, with parents in Greater London charging an average of £415 a month (£4,980 a year), compared with just £187 a month (£2,244 a year) in Yorkshire and The Humber and £211 in the East Midlands (£2,532 a year) – see Notes to Editor for a regional breakdown2.

According to the poll of more than 2,000 UK parents with adult children living at home and paying rent, 54 per cent return some or all of the rent paid by their children3 to support their homeownership ambitions, effectively turning rent into a savings mechanism for a deposit. The research also found that a third (34%) of adult children remain at home specifically to build savings for a future house purchase.

Many parents are also providing additional flexibility to their children. More than two in five (45%) parents have waived rent payments for their child once in the past year, while more than half (52%) say they’ve let children off rent payments between two and six times in the last year, reflecting the balancing act families face between managing household costs and supporting their children’s long-term financial goals.

While the journey to homeownership is taking longer for many aspiring first-time buyers, the family home is increasingly becoming an important stepping stone towards that goal. More than eight in ten (82%) parents4 say rising housing costs are making it more likely their adult children will continue living under the family roof for longer, while four in ten (40%) say their adult child remains at home because they cannot yet afford to move out.

The rise of the ‘Mumlord and Dadlord’:

The research suggests the traditional parent-child relationship is evolving as adult children spend longer living at home, with nearly half (45%) of parents5 saying they feel like a landlord to their own child (see Notes to Editor for regional breakdown)6.

More than six in 10 parents7 (61%) have increased the rent they charge their adult child. The London versus Yorkshire dynamic also continues when it comes to increasing the rent, with three quarters (75%) of Greater London parents saying they’ve done so, compared to less than half (46%) of parents in Yorkshire and The Humber (see Notes to Editor for regional breakdown)8.

One in five (21%) parents admit to already having a formal arrangement in place, with a further 14 per cent saying they would consider it. Greater London parents are most likely to have a formal agreement in place (47%), followed by those in the East of England (27%). Parents in Yorkshire and The Humber and East Midlands are least likely to have one, with only five per cent (Yorkshire and The Humber) and six per cent (East Midlands) saying they have a formal arrangement in place (see Notes to Editor for regional breakdown)9.

The arrangement is not always straightforward. Half of parents7 (50%) say financial arrangements with their adult child have caused tension or disagreements, underlining the challenges many families face as children remain at home for longer. Those tensions and disagreements are most likely to occur in Greater London households (70%) compared to just 27 per cent in households in Yorkshire and The Humber.

Nationwide puts first-time buyers first:

Nationwide has a range of solutions and resources to help people into a home of their own. These include a range of low deposit mortgages, the opportunity to borrow up to 33 per cent more (up to six times income) through Helping Hand, and £500 cashback. There is also a first-time buyer resource section on the Nationwide website to help people navigate their specific journey and support them with a range of guides and information.

Carlo Pileggi, Nationwide’s Head of Mortgage Products, said:

“Behind many first-time buyer success stories are parents quietly helping along the way and it appears they are using new tactics to support their children. As saving for a home remains as challenging as ever, our research shows many of Britain’s parents are using rent payments as a way to help their children build a deposit, turning the family home and time spent living at home into a stepping stone towards homeownership. However, the findings also serve as a reminder that many aspiring first-time buyers do not have access to family support and continue to face significant challenges in saving for a deposit.

“At Nationwide, we’re committed to putting first-time buyers first. Whether through family help, practical guidance or mortgage products, such as our Helping Hand mortgage boost, we want to help more people take the next step towards owning a home of their own.”

Published: 26 September 2026