Shawn Young's London, Ont., home is overflowing with belongings from his family, including those of his 24-year-old son, who still lives at home.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
In a house in London, Ont., Shawn Young is running out of space and patience.
His basement is packed with his son’s belongings, and most of the formerly free areas have become an obstacle course of golf clubs and hockey gear. “I’m ready to pop because there’s so much stuff,” said Mr. Young, 55. “We’re stuffed to the brim.”
His 24-year-old son, Devin, lives in the basement with his girlfriend. In an ideal world, they would have moved out by now, maybe even bought a condo of their own, Devin said. Instead, rising home prices and the cost of renting have kept the couple planted in the family home, along with nearly everything they own.
Across Canada, young adults struggling with housing affordability are staying home longer. Even those who do end up moving out are leaving belongings behind because of limited space in their new homes. For many families, that means parental homes are doubling as long-term storage units, delaying downsizing plans for older homeowners and forcing everyone to negotiate space, timelines and expectations.
Shawn’s 27-year-old daughter recently moved into her own apartment but has still left belongings behind, such as a couch in the garage. The house has become so full that Shawn had an addition built so he and his wife could reclaim some space.
Shawn says that if his son Devin doesn’t move out by the end of the year, then compromises will have to be made.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
Devin works as a plumbing apprentice, and he and his girlfriend constantly debate whether to move out and rent, even if it slows their ability to save. “If we were to rent, it wouldn’t be feasible to keep saving enough to buy a house,” he said. Their current plan is to move into a relatively affordable condo in about a year.
Until then, nearly all of Devin’s belongings remain at his parents’ home. He doesn’t want to get rid of furniture he expects to use once he moves. “We’re pretty maxed out right now,” he said. “I would like to buy more tools but we just don’t have the space.”
According to the Fraser Institute, in 2023, typical homes on the market were unaffordable for families earning the local median income in every major Canadian city. Yet, the desire to own hasn’t faded. Nearly 90 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 29 still aspire to buy a home, according to a 2024 Abacus Data survey.
When family homes start overflowing, self-storage units are often the first solution people consider, said Julie Witherell, a professional organizer and owner of Julie’s Organizing Services in Halifax. But once families see the cost, many rethink that option, she said. A medium storage unit in Toronto can cost up to $256 a month, according to XYZ Storage.
A 2025 report from commercial real estate firm Avison Young found the Canadian self-storage market is poised for rapid growth, with new supply expected to double year over year in 2026.
Most of the formerly free areas in Shawn's home have become completely overrun by his son's belongings.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
The report attributes the increase partly to Canada’s aging population, as more older adults downsize and look for places to store belongings. It also points to housing affordability pressures and the rise of smaller apartments.
For young adults, the extra monthly cost of a storage unit can be a deal-breaker. Desmond Nwaerondu, a Calgary-based certified financial planner at Sun Life, said that once young people move out, they lose the financial cushion of living at home, making it harder to pay for storage or save toward a down payment.
Mr. Nwaerondu suggests families struggling with space take a hard look at what they’re holding on to. Is it a sentimental family heirloom or an old couch that could be sold on Facebook Marketplace and replaced later? Even selling at a loss can make sense, he said, if the alternative is paying to store an item for months or years.
Organizer Ms. Witherell often sees parents arrive at their children’s new homes with loads of stored belongings once the kids finally move into a space large enough to take them. But she says the decluttering process should start much earlier.
Parents should set clear timelines with their children for how long items will remain in the family home, she said. “At least there’s a plan in place or an agreement, so there’s an expectation that that the time is coming to figure things out, and then it’s not forced on everyone right away.”
Shawn says he has reached a boiling point with the amount of belongings his children have at his house.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
Shawn said that if his son doesn’t move out by the end of the year, then more compromises will have to be made – perhaps including a storage unit.
Ultimately, many parents want to reclaim their space and their lives, Ms. Witherell said. She recommends that adult children regularly go through their stored items and clear out what isn’t being used.
In early 2026, Devin did exactly that. “We came to the conclusion that we could get rid of some stuff we didn’t actually need,” he said.
Doing so made a difference. During a recent snowstorm, Shawn had to fix the furnace in the basement, a task that previously would have required digging through piles of belongings. This time, it was easier, though he still had to dodge some golf clubs to access it.
The house is still stuffed, Shawn said, but he understands the trade-off.
“Devin is very close to getting somewhere else,” he said. So, in the meantime, they’re making it work.
