According to eMoov, surveyed UK homeowners were asked “what was the reason behind your last house move?”.
By far the most common reason for current UK homeowners to up sticks and move was due to having children, with 33% of those asked having moved due to an incoming bundle of joy.
Placing appropriately second, albeit perhaps in the reverse order, was marriage. 21% of those asked last moved home as a result of tying the not.
Even more appropriately and this time unfortunately in the correct order, getting divorced was the third biggest factor for UK homeowners when moving house, with 11% having done so the last time round.
Inheritance(7%), upsizing (6%), work (5%) and retirement (3%) were the next most common reasons for a house move.
Nuisance neighbours also play a part in our decisions to move, causing 3% of those asked to up roots from their last home. Despite the difficulty of getting on the UK ladder, 2% of those asked last moved due to being first time buyers and getting their own place.
Worryingly, due to the fact they are answering public surveys more than anything, a further 2% of UK homeowners last moved house due to witness protection.
Moving in with a partner (2%), breaking up with a partner (1%), independence from parents (1%), crime rates (1%) and downsizing (1%) were amongst the other reasons homeowners across the UK last moved house.
Russell Quirk, founder and CEO of eMoov.co.uk, commented: “We are, and always have been, a nation of aspirational homeowners and there are almost identical ties between the cycle of both homeownership and family life itself.
We lay roots in order to build a family, which in turn leads to upsizing to accommodate them, before downsizing once they fly the nest and finally helping them get their own piece of the UK property market dream.
Although other external factors like neighbours and in this case, witness protection, will play a hand in where and when we buy, nothing will surpass the influence of internal family factors such as having children and getting married.
It’s these events that fuel the cogs of the UK property market and keep things ticking over indefinitely, making property a solid investment whether it be for financial gain or family reasons.”
