Multigenerational households are on the increase in the UK due to a rise in young adults still living with their parents.

According to the National House Building Council (NHBC) Foundation report ‘Multigenerational living - an opportunity for UK house builders?’ the number of such households increased by 38 per cent between 2009 and 2014.

This shift was driven largely by the number of over 25s who still live with their mums and dads, the report said, while the number of families with grandparents living with them remained static during this period.

Pooling resources to buy a larger property, needing help with childcare and providing support for older family members were all given as reasons for multigenerational living.

With more than 1.8 million households in Britain containing at least two adult generations, Britain’s house builders are now looking at ways of offering new homes with greater flexibility.

NHBC Head of Research and Innovation Neil Smith said: “Multigenerational living offers a range of opportunities to house builders, from the targeting of suitable existing home designs to this market, to designing new homes with flexible layouts to suit different household compositions throughout a lifetime.

“Multigenerational living is recognised in other countries as a contributor to improved wellbeing and the more efficient use of housing stock. This report will help us to recognise these benefits as we strive to deliver a modern and relevant house-building programme within the UK.”