Are you a ‘ROGER’? Sky-high nursery charges see grandparents promote their properties to assist out their household

The staggering rise in nursery fees is pushing young families to tap cash from grandparents’ homes to pay for childcare, new data rclaims. 

Estate agent Jackson-Stops has pinpointed a new phenomenon known as the ‘Roger’ – a parent of a small child who is ‘reliant on grandparents and equity release’ to make ends meet. 

While the baby boomer generation – the grandparents in this case – have benefited from substantial house price growth since the noughties, their children are feeling the pain from rocketing childcare costs and stagnating wage growth. 

Some grandparents are therefore generously deciding to sell their homes and downsize, using some of the money to help meet their offspring’s rising bills. 

They may also relocate to be closer to their children – or their children to be closer to them – allowing them to help out with childcare themselves.  

Jackson-Stops says average house prices have risen 61.7 per cent since 2014, meaning those who owned homes before then could stand to make a substantial profit if they sell. 

The flip side of immense house price growth is that millennial parents, who have probably bought their home in the past few years, are more likely to have big mortgages, adding to their financial pressures. 

Wage growth in that time, meanwhile, has been just 10.7 per cent, and nursery fees have jumped by 70 per cent, making it a struggle for some parents to balance parenting, childcare and career growth. 

‘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.’

Leeming describes this as a ‘cultural shift back to inclusive multi-generational family life.’

And it may not be the first time millennial parents have tapped their family for cash, with many having relied on the Bank of Mum and Dad to get on the ladder in the first instance. 

Nursery costs are jumping because there are far fewer new nursery places than there are children being born, meaning competition is stiff to secure a place and nurseries can put up their prices accordingly. 

Jackson-Stops says 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. 

The increase in the minimum wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions have also been passed on from nurseries to parents. 

While the Government’s 30 funded hours scheme should help with the costs, there still aren’t enough places and two-year waits are common.

Where will you find most Rogers?  

Jackson-Stops has pinpointed the areas where high house price growth and expensive childcare collide, meaning they are likely to be home to an increasing number of Rogers. 

They are largely in affluent home counties districts including Elmbridge in Surrey, which includes Cobham, Weybridge and Esher; Hertfordshire’s St Albans, Hertsmere, Three Rivers and Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire. 

All have average house prices of more than £600,000. 

This data excludes London, where the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea has both the highest house prices and highest nursery fees of any part of the UK.

Mean hourly childcare fees sit at £13.02, 83 per cent higher than the national average at £7.12, whilst average house prices are a staggering £2.1million. 

Sevenoaks in Kent is also one of the places on the list.  Alastair Hancock, director of Jackson-Stops in the town, says he has seen a rise in grandparents relocating to help out with the grandchildren. 

‘Parents moving back to support their children as they navigate young family life is becoming increasingly common,’ he says.

‘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. 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.’

Areas that are cheaper for families 

All of the most affordable areas for families are in the north of England, according to Jackson-Stops. 

Salford in Greater Manchester tops the table with an average hourly nursery fee of £5.37, while the typical house price is £244,499. 

Crispin Harris, director of Jackson-Stops in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, says: ‘It is no big secret that the further away from London you go, there tends to be more financial freedom. 

‘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.’ 

This data also excludes London. For those looking in London for the most affordable nursery fees, Bexley (£6.43), Havering (£6.58) and Barking and Dagenham (£6.99) were the only three boroughs with childcare under £7 per hour. 

Their average house prices were £437,783, £464,210 and £355,873 respectively in 2024, lower than the London average of £548,939.