An increasing number of middle-aged Brits have become the second largest group in the UK to rent their accommodation, with students still holding the number one slot.
People in the 35 to 55 age bracket are renting in greater numbers than before and even sharing accommodation with increasing frequency.
The high cost of purchasing property has been blamed for the change which has hit single people and divorcees particularly hard, according to research from Experian.
The trend is beginning to undermine the pattern of owner-occupier property.
People are banding together to rent older houses with several bedrooms to be shared by a number of other adults. The research found that this group is most likely to be working full-time, earning an average salary of £20,000 to £29,000.
The average house price in the UK is currently £233,000, according to the Office of National Statistics, around ten times the earnings people in this income bracket.
"A rapid expansion in the rental sector has, for the first time, reversed almost a hundred years of rising owner occupation. Renting is no longer the preserve of the young career starters but we increasingly see groups of older people and people of varied wealth joining them," said Nigel Wilson, marketing director at Experian.
