A Cambridge-based think tank wants to see social housing organisations encouraged to build more multi-generational homes and a relaxation in planning laws for those who want to build or convert their own house. Researcher Peter Lynas comments, ‘Multi-generational living allows families to help each other out and prevents loneliness. It is not for everyone, but we must make it easier for those who want to do it.’
Pensioners now outnumber children for the first time in the UK, as more and more people live longer. Increased life expectancy, falling pension funds, rising childcare costs and a stagnant housing market have led to an increase in the number of multi-generational homes. Recent research by Lloyds TSB Insurance found that 500,000 homes in Britain are occupied by several generations. (1) It can have a very positive effect on family cohesion. Multigenerational living currently applies to only 2% of homes in the UK – much less than many other countries.
Peter Lynas continues, ‘As we celebrate National Family Week, we are encouraging more people to consider bringing their extended family under one roof. We need to offer tax incentives and relax planning rules to allow multi-generational living. Enabling extended families to live close to each other makes it much easier for them to provide practical support. This brings extended families closer together and has the added bonus of saving the taxpayer money in the long-term.’
There can be benefits for all concerned. Grandparents living on the same site can easily help with childcare. Michelle Obama’s mum, Marian Robinson, has been dubbed the ‘First Granny’ after leaving Chicago’s South Side to move to Washington and help look after her granddaughters.
As grandparents become more elderly, the younger generation can return the favour by keeping an eye on them. Many parents are part of the sandwich generation squeezed by two sets of care responsibilities. Bringing them together on one location can save a great deal of travel time and worry. Older children can also live at home for longer while they save their money to get a foothold on the property ladder.
Skipton Building Society has estimated that families using granny and granddad are saving £6.8 billion a year. (2) Sharing accommodation could lead to even greater savings. Builders could tap into this market offering properties with separate entrances and party walls that can easily be knocked down or re-erected to meet the families changing needs. New schemes are particularly popular with ethnic minorities or other buyers for whom living with an extended family is part of their culture.
Peter Lynas commented: ‘Multi-generational living to set to increase as house-building slows, and the sandwich generation grows. It is much easier to care for those you are (physically) close to. We now live in long ‘beanpole’ families with more vertical than horizontal links, so intergenerational bonds are becoming more important.’
Some countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong use their housing policy to enable elderly relatives to live near other family members. In Singapore, schemes are open to children who are married or shortly to be married, or to elderly parents seeking a property in the same town as each other. Successful applicants receive increased grants or a reduced waiting time. The rationale for these schemes is that the government saves in welfare costs as family members assist one another. Elderly relatives are cared for in extended family units, whilst grandparents can offer childcare for working parents. The result is that more than 69% of elderly people in Singapore co-reside with their children. (3)
Notes:
For more information see Investing in Relationships, p 65-72.
1.http://www.insurance.lloydstsb.com/personal/general/mediacentre/three-generation-households.asp
2. Available at http://www.skipton.co.uk/press_office/publicity_campaigns/the_granny_economy/