More Aussies are taking in their elderly parents, while fewer kids are flying the family nest, making instances of multi-generational living more common.
Once upon a time, this kind of living scenario wasn’t uncommon, with two or three generations more likely to live together under one roof.
But it faded away over the past 100-odd years as rising wealth and societal changes in the West saw individualism favoured.
Now, for a number of reasons, multi-generational living is on the rise once more.
Christine Matousek's family is one of these growing number of Australian households.
Seven years ago, Christine's mother Nilza moved from Brazil when her husband died and she started to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's.
An aged care facility in Brazil was not an option, Ms Matousek said.
"They offered her no independence,” she said. “She couldn't go out. So, I said, let's bring her here and see how it goes."
Ms Matousek and her husband Michael knew that her mum living with them and their three children, Luca, now 17, Matteo, 14, and Lara, 10, would be loud and busy at times.
When they bought their family home, they found somewhere with a studio that was connected to the house but also had its own entry.
And when they renovated in 2019, they enlarged Nilza's quarters to include a living area, kitchenette, and bathroom.
Despite having her own space, Nilza likes to spend her time with the rest of the family, Ms Matousek says.
"My mum is a very independent person but during the day she is always with us. She is always around."
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The Matousek family comprises three generations living under one roof. Picture: Supplied
A growing trend
Multi-generational living — when more than one related adult generation lives together — is becoming more common in Australia.
Census analysis by the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW found 20% of all Australians live in a multi-generational household.
Senior research fellow at the City Futures Research Centre, Edgar Liu, said while multi-generational living is more prevalent in certain cultures, such as east Asian, Middle Eastern and southern European, it's proving to have broader appeal.
Two-thirds of those living with one or more generations in the same home were born in Australia, Mr Liu said, showing the trend is "certainly growing" throughout the community.
The main driver in recent decades has been older family members moving into a home with younger relatives.
"Many people can't bear the thought of sending mum to a nursing home, or they don't want to spend a lot of money on mum or dad going into retirement accommodation,” he said.
“Plus, childcare is expensive, so if mum moves in, they can go to work without having to pay childcare fees.
"We have moved a lot of that caring responsibility back to the individual families, asking them to pay for it. They can't really do that unless they do it in this kind of arrangement."
There's a growing trend of elderly Aussies moving in with their adult children. Picture: Getty
While older parents are moving into the family home, many adult children are also not leaving the nest.
These reasons are largely economic, Mr Liu says.
Firstly, there's a greater expectation of higher education and postgraduate degrees so people are learning for longer, which limits and delays their earning capacity.
Secondly, the economy has changed. More young people are working in casual positions or in the gig economy.
Many younger people were also forced to move back home during Covid lockdowns.
And lastly, of course, the cost of renting has skyrocketed, and buying a home is out of reach for many.
"A lot of circumstances have changed," Mr Liu says.
"Many people are not able to afford to live separately. That kind of steady income that our parents or our grandparents lived off just doesn't exist anymore."
Many younger people are also staying at home longer - or moving back in. Picture: Getty
Future-proofing through design
Melbourne buyer’s agent Tonya Davidson of Davidson Property Advocates said many of her clients are looking for properties that will also house their parents or in-laws, while others are looking to accommodate their kids for longer.
"There's certainly more of a discussion around future-proofing for parents,” Ms Davidson said.
“Many buyers want a ground floor bedroom of a notable size with its own bathroom ideally.
"Zoned living is also a topic, which is not so important when children are younger and we all want to socialise together, but as children become young adults, there needs to be consideration for space such as second living areas."
Looking ahead, Mr Liu said homes will need to become more flexible to accommodate the need for space and privacy.
"We've moved a lot towards open-plan living, and we all know how that hasn't worked in the last couple of years. When you have three people sitting around a dining table or trying to work or study, there's just no audio or visual privacy.
"This problem isn't necessarily solved by more space – it's having flexible space."
A pocket door that can close off sections, improved insulation to reduce sound, and a granny flat, studio, or annexe to provide additional living quarters are all good ideas, he said.
Lack of appropriate housing
Even with tailor-made interiors, the reality is that multi-generational living setups often require larger houses, which has led many families to relocate to outer suburbs.
"That's really where they can find the kind of housing that would be suitable for this arrangement," Mr Liu said.
But the problem is, these communities, as well as their local services and infrastructure, tend to target young families.
"What happens to the older person then?” he said.
“If they need something locally, it's just not available. Often the older person has given up their car because it's expensive and they can't really use public transport because it takes two hours to go anywhere. So they just end up staying at home all the time.
“And that's a flaw we can't fix by redesigning our home."
Granny flats - like this one by Cubitt's - are becoming popular additions to backyards. Picture: Cubit's
He said the solution is providing a proportion of affordable housing in each area through inclusionary zoning interventions.
"The mix of housing types that are available in different parts of the city can be quite important."
Independent property market analyst Michael Matusik agreed, saying the housing that caters well for multi-generational and multiple tenants "is in short supply".
"Our work suggests this demand could be as high as 25%, yet we estimate that less than 5% of Australia’s existing housing stock successfully caters to this market," Mr Matusik said.
Australia needs more dual occupancy housing, which is also a solid investment option, he added.
"Recent analysis by us has found that having a home that is purpose-built to hold a multi-generational household or two (or more) tenants can lift the overall property's value by up to 20% and adds around a third more to an investment property's rental income."
'It takes a village'
Ms Matousek’s family is fortunate that they can afford to give Nilza her own separate living quarters.
But she admits that so many people living together comes with challenges, mainly generational differences over parenting, a lack of privacy, and a lack of quiet when she and her husband are working from home.
"Sometimes Michael and I are working and it's loud with her banging the plates as she does the washing up. So, we both need to go somewhere else to give her that space.
"Sometimes you do something with the kids that for her and her generation would be done differently, and she questions why I'm doing it this way."
The trend forms an in-house 'village' that has many benefits. Picture: Getty
But overall, spending time with each other and enjoying “the little moments” makes it worthwhile, she said.
"My mum loves to watch the kids play soccer. And the kids go to her every night and say I love you.
"As they get older, some people love going out and meeting people but my mum just wants to be with us.
"It's funny because people say it takes a village to raise a child. But with some older people, you need exactly the same. That's why the whole family has to help.
“And with the kids taking care of her, it is a kind of village."