Housing Crisis - 5 in a two bed flat

I grew up in a 4 bed house - family of 4. I have a 2 bed with my 2 teens who have the bedrooms. I'm not dissapointed - I feel incredibly lucky to have my own house even if it is smaller than I grew up in.

Yes, it's completely normal

@Westcountrygal drop and go? Just shit posting because you're bored?

You asked where the stuff goes, well you can't have a lot of stuff.

I wouldn't call that cramped, everyone has a bedroom and a bed presumably. Maybe if the youngest 2 are teens in bunk beds.

I actually think growing up in a smaller home is better - children learn consideration by sharing space such as bathrooms and you are closer as a family if you all sit in the same room every night. Also you tend to expect as an adult what you had as a child, meaning you are more likely to be disappointed if you grew up in a 5-bed.

tbh that’s just as bad as second homes . Yes to a few holiday lets but it should be capped with licenses and taxed more than if you’re renting out on along term basis imo.

So why do people in poverty have more children?

Why do they have more children? Thoughtless to have a baby on top of 2 other kids in a 2bed flat

Lots of modern houses are not like that. My friend lived in a 3 bed new build. Only the master was big enough for a double bed. One room could fit a single bed and the other only a cot. I only have a 2 bed but it is Victorian and the rooms are much bigger as well as having high ceilings.

Five of us were in a bedroom until I was 7. My parents in a double bed, me and my older brother had a single bed each and my younger brother in a cot. My grandmother, grandfather and grand uncle had a bedroom each to themselves.

When I was 7 my Dad built an extension, it was one big bedroom with two double beds. I didn't have a room of my own until I was 24, in college. The first couple of places I was in after I moved away, I shared a room due to finances.

It's all very well to talk about contraception but I live in Ireland and my mother could not access contraception until the early 80s, after my younger brother was born. Several families in my village had 8 children and I went to school with a girl who was one of 14.

I have my own home now, no children and I love the space and peace and quiet!

People can aspire to whatever they fancy but in reality, in 2026, you're doing well if you have a secure roof (of any description) over your head.

It's pretty common now with such high housing costs and homelessness.

I live in a 2 bed with 3 of us. The 2 teens have the bedrooms and I sleep on the sofa. I know lots of other mums doing that.

I used to know a family of 5 living in a 1 bed. The older child had the bedroom. The parents slept on a sofa bed with a bed and cot in the living room for the younger 2.

I know another family of 5 living in a 2 bed. Mum in the living room and 2 children in each bedroom.

My BF lived in a homeless hostel in 1 room smaller than my living room with her 2 teens.

I work on child protection in a very large northern city. In many ways it is thriving but as in most cities in the UK, the poor are getting poorer and services have been slashed. Maybe my view of the world is skewed because of the job I do, but I cannot beleive this can be a shock to anyone. Their has been a housing crisis for decades. They golden age of social welfare ended a long time ago. Social housing is gold dust, most is in poor repair as no funds to maintain and overcrowding does not put anyone at the top of the list for a move. It is not uncommon for a family of 5-6 or more to live in a one/two bed property. Even those fleeing violence etc on band A are looking at a 5 year wait unless they agree to a hostel anywhere in the UK. Unless you have a medical need then this is the reality. Even then, a family member aged 50 has been sitting in a nursing home for people with dementia for over a year as no accessible flats exist.

As for private housing, rented or mortgaged, for those stuck in rental or trying to get on the housing ladder, the costs and requirements are unobtainable for many. My DC is paying £1000 pm for a room in a shared house at uni ffs. There are lots of people congratulating themselves because their houses have made them lots of money because they were able to buy at the right time, with an affordable deposit and manage a mortgage on average wages. I know there have been times of much higher interests rates, I lived through it, but higher interest on a much smaller mortgage was still more affordable than young people are having to pay now. That is if they can even manage to save for a deposit whilst paying massive rents, student loans etc.

I live in a 3 bed semi with 3 children, is this deemed cramped? So parents own room, eldest own room, youngest 2 share?

Until recently we had 4 kids in a 3 bed house. You store things everywhere. We bought a bigger house in a cheaper county when deciding to have a fourth. But the found out two of kids needed to move to a SEN school and couldn't move their EHCPs. My dad was one of 15 in a two bed council high rise. Could be worse

I am 65, raised Catholic so big families. My three brothers shared a room, my 2 sisters and I shared another. And everyone I knew lived like that! Back then, children didn't demand the newest, latest toy (similar to phones and computers now). We hoped to get a couple items from our Christmas or Birthday wish list and usually got clothing, too. Otherwise, new outfits came at Easter and Back-to-school only. This generation has so much, and parents that cater to every whim. When you have less, you appreciate what you do have.

I mean, I grew up in tiny one bedroom flat with 2 parents and 2 kids and we regularly had relatives who stayed over. So “incredibly cramped two bedroom flats” make me roll my eyes slightly

Where do people even keep all their clothes/ endless washing/ belongings?

In incredibly cramped and cluttered conditions, or they just don’t have that many belongings.

Living in poverty is real. So many people (not directed at you OP) on Mumsnet have really no idea how tough it it for people barely getting by.

Typically, houses are designed for two adults per bedroom. Five in a 2-bed doesn't sound too horrendous. (There's no law saying you should have three children)

My sister lives in a small 1 bedroom flat, and next are a family with 2 kids (boy aged 10, girl aged 5). The parents sleep in the lounge. The parents grew up in the area and want to stay near family. What i find strange is that they have a garden but never really use it. If it was me, I'd practically live in the garden in the summer.

My grandparents were both from large families of 9 kids, and lived in small terraced houses. Ironically, the front room was never used day-to-day and kept for best. Hard to imagine today, but the norm then.

Why keep pumping out more kids when already overcrowded? Haven't these people heard of contraception?

whole families live in a single room in many parts of the world, and did in this country routinely until the 1950’s. I’m far less concerned about families sharing a two bed flat than the condition some rentals are in - a decent quality apartment even if small is better than a larger place with mould etc.

When ds was a toddler I knew a family who had 3 children and then had twins,all in a one bed flat.

What you describe has been completely normal for generations. It’s only relatively recently that there has been an expectation that every child should have their own room before they’re a year old. Sharing a room with one or two siblings is fine.

It’s pretty normal for siblings to share bedrooms.

I had to share WITH MY MOTHER until I moved out of home. That was pretty bad for privacy. I have to say I’m not unaffected and fiercely guard my privacy and space as an adult.

I was lucky enough to be the only girl so I had the box room. And I mean a box the bed had been made to fit a space. Thankfully I'm only 5ft tall.
Yet my 4 brothers slept in the same room on bunk beds.

Years before my husband's grandparents had 6 boys and 4 girls. They lived in a 3 bed terrace house.