ROCKETING house prices have led to a 37 per cent rise in adults still living with their parents.

The latest research by Aviva shows a dramatic increase in 25 to 34-year-olds still living at home over the past decade – from 903,000 to 1.23 million.

This coincides with a 45 per cent increase in house prices for first time buyers and could, if the trend continues, lead to a further 452,000 25-34 year olds still living at home in 10 years’ time.

Aviva’s study found that respondents expected to be 28-years-old on average before they could afford to move out although eight per cent said they didn’t ever expect to be able to move out. A third of people aged between 16 and 34 said they didn’t expect to ever own a home and a fifth believe they will only be able to afford a home if and when they inherited one. Among those that do expect to own a property in the future most said they believed this would be when they reached 31.

Lindsey Rix, MD, Personal Lines, Aviva UK, General Insurance, said: “The challenges of getting on the property ladder are well publicised but its’s startling to see that one in three adults who live with parents expect never to own a property and a further fifth believe the only way they will own a home is by inheriting."

Aviva asked those living at home how they felt about the situation and why they were living at home. Nearly two thirds of adults living at home with their parents said it was because they couldn’t afford to move out and 48 per cent said it in order to save money.

However, nearly a quarter said they like being looked after by their parents and 10 per cent said they were too scared to move out.

Twice as many men as women continue to live with their parents as adults. Just over half, 52 per cent, of those surveyed, said they were happy with the situation, compared to 45 per cent of women.