FOLKESTONE “I moved in with my mother. I don’t live in London anymore’ Bec Bartley sings and drags a suitcase towards his parents’ door in a social media video.
The video struck a chord with the British. 30 million have already seen it.
The video is not only hilarious comedy, but also true. Bec Bartley moved her husband Sam Bartley’s with Bec’s parents, in their thirties.
– We started getting messages where people said they had also moved in with their parents, Bec tells .
The humor of comedian and screenwriter couple Bec and Sam Bartley has a dark background: London prices young adults out.
More and more young Brits can no longer afford to live in Britain’s handsome capital. Rents have skyrocketed, as have apartment prices. A room in a shared room easily costs a good 1,200 euros.
The Bartleys found that because of the expensive rent, it was practically impossible for them to save up to buy their own apartment. They mostly had money left over for food and occasional evening outings.
Young people describe London housing prices as absurd.
– A small two-room apartment in really poor condition would have cost almost half a million euros, says Bec.
The average price of a first home was almost EUR 550,000 in London in October 2024. Bec and Sam’s budget for their own apartment was less than half of that.
– It would have only gotten a plot of land or a garage, Sam laughs.
According to pollster Yougov, almost half of London’s adults under the age of 25 plan to move out of the city within the next ten years. The majority of them say that the reason is precisely the prices of apartments.
The high cost of housing is already shaping London’s demographic structure.
The apartments are sold to more and more affluent buyers, and increasingly they are wealthy foreigners.
Last year, more British citizens moved out of London than arrived there. On the other hand, more foreigners moved to London than left.
The doors of rental apartments are especially popular now. The exodus of renters from London is at a record high. The largest group of leavers are those in their thirties who are of family starting age, such as Bec and Sam Bartley.
The Bartleys started looking for an apartment outside of London, but within easy train connections. For that, “the bank of father and mother” was needed.
The concept is familiar in Britain, where nearly five million young adults lived with their parents in 2021. Of the Welsh and English, almost every third The 25-29-year-old lives with his parents.
The Bartleys moved in with Bec’s parents at Herne Bay, on the seaside in South East England.
– We calculated that we could save the loan advance in a year if we could move in with them, says Bec.
The year stretched into a year and a half. The young people managed to save a good forty thousand euros in advance for the mortgage.
– We couldn’t give money, but we had enough room for four adults, Sarah Horsley says when we meet the parents at their home in Herne Bay.
Phil and Sarah Horsley worried whether young people would lose their independence in the arrangement.
But the youth organized things for the parents and tricked them into acting in fun videos watched by millions. In addition to their video that went viral, Bec and Sam made numerous others in which they portrayed adults regressing into the role of carefree children.
Bec and Sam admit that coming home was exciting and even a little embarrassing.
– We thought about what people said. There is shame involved. It felt like we had failed, even though we were basically doing well, Bec describes.
I finally found my own apartment at a reasonable price in a townhouse on the southeast coast of England in Folkestone. The fastest train takes you there from London in 50 minutes.
The charming city of 50,000 inhabitants in the prosperous county of Kent is one of the most popular cities to move to.
– We are really satisfied. We never thought we would get an apartment with our own yard, dining room, living room, two bedrooms and a loft, Sam and Bec sigh in the empty dining room of their new home.
The couple felt that the price of around 270,000 euros for an apartment in need of renovation was cheap compared to London.
The Bartleys are financing their home with a 35-year mortgage. Monthly expenses are lower than rent in London.
In England, it is normal for young people to take out a mortgage for up to 40 years.
The two bedrooms upstairs have already received a soft carpet. Bec sands the living room wall. Sam screws the sockets.
The dining area is already ready in the couple’s mind. There will be a large mirror on the wall to bring light. Beanbags on the floor.
You can play games with friends at the big dining table.
The couple still doesn’t know anyone from the city other than their neighbors and the renovator.
– We attract our friends to move here. Maybe this will become the new London, because this is cheaper, Bec thinks.
Bec and Sam work remotely but visit London once or twice a week. They perform in comedy shows, shoot commercials and go to auditions.
They miss the energy of London a bit.
Bec’s parents, Phil and Sarah Horsley, feel that they had an easier time than today’s young people. They bought their first home in their twenties. Phil went to work and Sarah worked alongside her studies. The state pays for the tuition fees. Nowadays, students are up to their ears in debt at the end of their studies. The university’s tuition fee is at least 11,000 euros per year.
– I could afford to pay for driving school lessons, go to the movies and go skating. Still, there was money saved, Sarah calculated.
It only took months to save a ten percent down payment for a first home.
The youth housing crisis is affecting Britain’s economy and appeal, Phil and Sarah Horsley believe. They fear that young adults will be disappointed when the salary does not seem to be sufficient for the standard of living of previous generations.
– It can have unexpected consequences. Some may move out of the country and that will have an impact on the economy. Some may turn to crime because they get frustrated with the system when governments don’t deliver on their promises, Sarah Horsley thinks.
Young people are hopeful about the new government’s promises to build 1.5 million new apartments during the parliamentary term.
– New apartments should be cheap enough for first-time buyers. Old houses should also be renovated for habitation, Sam thinks.
Bec and Sam’s computer desk is set in the middle of the renovation.
– Had to learn quickly. We didn’t know how to patch holes or install skirting boards, says Sam.
They will probably pay their loan until retirement.
– But we probably work into our eighties because we love our work, they say, laughing almost in unison.