"In many ways, families are closer than ever before – an unexpected upside of shifting socio-economic dynamics. We're in the golden era of family life"
- Nick Leeming - Jackson-Stops
A new social trend among working parents is emerging in the suburbs. Those Reliant On Grandparents and Equity Release, or ROGERS as the term has been coined, are on the rise after a decade of rampant house price inflation, eye-watering nursery fees, and a widening generational wealth gap.
National estate agency Jackson-Stops says the acronym has never been so relevant today, not just for millennials juggling parenting and career growth, but also downsizers as grandparents increasingly choose to stay local to give their support.
The data is stark. Average house prices have risen 61.7% since 2014, whilst wage growth has stagnated across the decade at just 10.7%. A similar contrast can be seen across the childcare sector, with average monthly nursery fees for children under two increasing by 70% since 2018, against a concerning picture of just a 5.5% rise in the number of childcare places available.
To put this into context, there were 3.8 million new births in England from 2018 to 2024, but just 84,100 new registered childcare places during the same period. According to London Economics, the number of childminders has fallen by 35% since 2018.
Research suggests that despite the rollout of 30-hours funded childcare per week, some nurseries and childminders are struggling to remain part of the scheme as government funding fails to meet rising costs, including National Insurance increases that came in from April 2025. As childcare providers struggle, with stories of two-year nursery waiting lists becoming common, a looming crisis in availability has put a further reliance on grandparent support.
"Just like the laws of property, the demand and supply of childcare is impacting moving decisions and migratory trends across the country," says Nick Leeming, chairman of Jackson-Stops.
"As childcare becomes the new postcode priority, we're seeing three generations reshaping the market: grandparents relocating to be the 'village' young parents need, and young parents moving closer to home to help support their little ones," explained Leeming.
"Millennials who are often hit hardest by affordability pressures, now in the 30s and 40s with families of their own, were also the generation that used a new dominant market lender: the bank of Mum and Dad. Often, from equity release of those who benefited the most from house price inflation since the early 2000s, this was key to many getting on the ladder in the first place. These tight family networks are once again driving where people live."
The significance of rapid price inflation of these two key lifestyle factors together, house prices and nursery fees, has created a growing cultural shift back to inclusive multi-generational family life, says Jackson-Stops.
"The Silent Generation's typical parenting style was hands-off, with arguably less of a need placed on them compared to the financial pressures on young families that we see today," Leeming continues. "In many ways, families are closer than ever before – an unexpected upside of shifting socio-economic dynamics. We're in the golden era of family life."
Where are costs the highest
According to Jackson-Stops' analysis, outside of London, it is families within the commuter belt who feel the brunt of high house prices and high nursery fees, often the places where ROGERS benefit from the most family support.
The mean hourly nursery fee in 2024 for England outside of London was £6.64, or around £1,614 per month. By comparison, the most expensive nursery fees outside of London sit in Elmbridge, Surrey, at a 16% premium, or around £258 per month extra. House prices here in 2024 were £633,438 above the national average of £265,456, with families paying a potential 239% premium.
Also in the top ten places where ROGERS may reside is Sevenoaks in Kent. Whilst tenth on the list owing to the fact that its nursery fees sit just below the national average at £6.57 per hour, house prices here are a considerable 130% above the national average.
"Parents moving back to support their children as they navigate young family life is becoming increasingly common, particularly from baby boomers who recognise the wealth earned from their homes over the past decade, simply by doing nothing, has a consequence of dimming the homeownership dream for young people as the affordability gap widens," says Alastair Hancock, director of Jackson-Stops Sevenoaks.
"I have just helped a couple in their late sixties move from a rural village to a townhouse closer to Sevenoaks, allowing them to gift equity to their daughter and look after their young grandchild twice a week," noted Hancock. "This is not an uncommon story. Likewise, we have young families buying here from London to be closer to the grandparents for support. Whilst the financial benefit is obvious, the desire to create a tight family unit is a wonderful thing – enriching for both sides."
London
According to Jackson-Stops' analysis, the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea has both the highest house prices and the highest nursery fees of any part of the UK. Mean hourly childcare fees sit at £13.02, 83% higher than the national average at £7.12, whilst average house prices are a staggering £2,096,902.
However, for those looking in London for the most affordable nursery fees, Bexley at £6.43, Havering at £6.58 and Barking and Dagenham at £6.99 were the only three boroughs with childcare under £7 per hour, with average house prices of £437,783, £464,210 and £355,873 respectively in 2024, lower than the London average of £548,939.
Where are costs the lowest
Whilst the north of England may not come as a surprise for more affordable house prices, nursery fees here are also some of the lowest in the country.
"It is no big secret that the further away from London you go, there tends to be more financial freedom," says Crispin Harris, director of Alderley Edge. "Buyers from all over the country will choose the North West, craving a better quality of life. I've seen families move back here to where they grew up, drawn in by closer family support and community networks. These are things that just can't be replicated."
