Almost every week another article turns up online about how a perky millennial bought their own home, despite the fact that research shows home ownership is an increasingly unrealistic goal for young people. Case in point, yesterday's piece in The Mirror where 27-year-old Molly explained that she'd bought a house by making small changes like moving to a SIM-only phone, buying second-hand clothes - oh, and moving in with her parents therefore saving thousands of pounds a year on rent, saying ''It is not worth £400 a month to rent a rubbish studio flat somewhere.'
She's far from the only one who has done it. 4.5 million Brits currently live with the parents while they save up to buy their own place.
It's not a bad idea. Only 38% of adults who live with their parents pay any rent at all, so it's undeniably an effective way to save. There isn't anything wrong with doing it, at all – unless you're going to suggest that 'everyone' should do it.
A cursory Google turns up dozens of articles from the last few weeks about young people who have managed to triumph over the housing crisis, owning their very own place. And the story is almost always the same. They bought a small place, outside of London, with a partner, and they moved in with their parents for chunk of time to save up their money for the deposit.
There's nothing wrong with doing all of those things, but holding a person up as an example of how it's 'totally possible' to buy a house if you're just strict about your spending is beyond disingenuous. Many people's parents don't have space for adult kids to move back in, or cannot afford to subsidise them doing so. And even if your parents are able to help you, that hinges on wanting to find work within a cheap commuting distance of where you grew up.
In her recent article about becoming a homeowner, one woman is quoted as saying, 'It is not worth £400 a month to rent a rubbish studio flat somewhere'. But for lots of people it is. Renting your own place is a way to get your own space, to have the full adult experience and to escape your childhood bedroom.
Renting is not irresponsible, even if you could in theory live at home. Being able to get on the housing ladder shouldn't be dependent on sleeping in a single bed with Barbie sheets into your thirties and telling your mum what time you'll be home.
Our parents and grandparents certainly didn't have to. The average first-time buyer was 23-years-old in 1960. It's now 33.
Last year's Salary Tube map, which shows how much you need to earn to buy a property in different parts of London, made clear that in order to own property (even a small one-bed) in Zone 3 you'll need to be earning an average of £68,00. The average London salary is £38,476.
Much of the home-owning advice seems to imply that anyone can own a home if they just want it badly enough and put the effort in. Which is patently untrue.
There's nothing to be gained by throwing shade at people who move home to save money while they put money away for a deposit. If you get on with your parents, live near work and they have space then lucky you, it's clearly a great option to have. But to hold moving home up as the 'cure' for the housing market's total lack of affordability is unfair.
If you're hoping to own property and moving home isn't an option, you might want to find out more about Help to Buy, Shared Ownership and government subsidised ISAs.