With housing costs soaring, different generations are living together under one roof. Known as multi-generational living, Dr Edgar Lyooh a senior research fellow UNSW says an increasing number of families are seeing the benefist of communual living.
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00:00 As a proportion, it has always been about one in every five people or one in every three
00:06 families but in terms of numbers as our population has grown, yes we are seeing more and more
00:11 families choosing this arrangement.
00:13 And this isn't just grown up kids moving back in with mum and dad, this is grown up kids,
00:18 their families moving in with mum and dad, but grandparents also there as well.
00:21 Yeah, so there's all kinds of combinations, it's not just kids not wanting to leave home.
00:27 We're certainly seeing a lot more people, older people joining these kind of families,
00:31 particularly when you hear about the not so nice stories of nursing homes or retirement
00:35 accommodation.
00:36 They're also concerned about the cost themselves as well of those care and as well as their
00:42 everyday living.
00:43 Is money the main driver?
00:45 Money certainly was the main driver.
00:47 When we did our survey, more than half people said that it was one of their many reasons
00:52 and then the next most common was the provision of care.
00:55 Is multi-generational living something that's more common in particular cultures?
01:00 When you look at it by birthplace, yes it would be.
01:03 Those would be for cultural reasons as well as religious reasons.
01:06 Some cultures, for example, you might not be allowed to leave home until you get married
01:11 but otherwise we're more likely to see people from other cultures to do this.
01:17 Did you find that when people decide that they want to move in together, does each generation
01:21 sell their own property or move out of their own property in order to move into a much
01:26 bigger one?
01:27 Is that usually how it works?
01:28 It's actually quite uncommon, particularly when the situation comes relatively suddenly,
01:33 for example, because of a relationship breakdown that you need to find accommodation very quickly.
01:38 So it's more likely that someone would join an existing household.
01:41 They may decide to buy something together or rent something together later on but it's
01:46 more common that someone would join an existing family already.
01:49 And is this something that we're seeing more in cities or in the regions?
01:53 We did our project primarily in the city but we're seeing that most of these families will
01:58 live in the middle and outer suburbs where larger properties are more readily available.
02:02 There must be downsides to having many generations living under one roof.
02:07 What were the main disadvantages to it that you found in your research?
02:11 Yeah, even though they said the thing they liked the most was having companionship around,
02:16 it's a very thin line, isn't it, having too much companionship?
02:20 So certainly the lack of privacy was one and we did find that because it's family, people
02:25 tend to toe the line a bit more so you tend to push the line further than you would or
02:29 you might go into someone's room without knocking or borrowing something without asking.
02:34 So that certainly made it a little bit worse as well.
02:37 How do the finances work?
02:39 Is it equally shared?
02:40 Costs equally shared?
02:42 It depends on the individual discussion.
02:45 We certainly find that families often discuss this very openly, whether you contribute to
02:52 the bills or you pay board or you co-purchase something together.
02:57 We have certainly seen arrangements where it was the parents who put the deposit down
03:01 and then it was the kids who pay the mortgage because they are the ones who are earning
03:05 whereas the parents are not.
03:07 So there are different kinds of arrangements.
03:08 And in the course of your research, Edgar, have you picked up any tips from people who
03:12 are living in a multi-generational way to live in harmony?
03:16 Certainly open communication.
03:18 Talk to your family, don't just sit there and brew and self-sulk.
03:21 soak.
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