Housing costs force one in ten to move back in with their parents

New report suggest that 22 is the 'ideal age' to move out

The findings come in a YouGov poll of 5,379 people commissioned by housing charity Shelter. They contrast with government figures released earlier this year showing that almost a third of first-time-buyers are over 35.

The poll reveals that almost 1 in 10 people aged between 20 and 40 are living with their parents and say that within the last two years they have had to move back or continue to live with them because they can’t afford to rent or buy.

Almost two thirds of those living at home said that developing new relationships is harder because of their living situation, and nearly a quarter say that their relationship with their parents has deteriorated because they live with them. Over a third say they feel embarrassed to admit that they live with their parents.

"These figures paint a vivid picture of twenty- and thirty-somethings in arrested development, with our housing crisis putting the brakes on their aspirations for the future," said Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter. “Our chronic lack of homes that young people can genuinely afford to rent or buy is at the root of the problem.

“There’s no doubt that young people are grateful to be able to live with mum and dad to save money. But we have to question whether it’s acceptable that this is becoming the norm for people to live at home into their mid thirties, when we know that they are desperate to be independent and make their own way in the world."