Homeowners risk false economy by leaving repairs

The wave of austerity gripping UK households is causing many homeowners to risk damage to their homes in an effort to save money, the AA reveals.

Over 18.5 million Brits - around 39% - have been putting off home repairs or attempted to fix something themselves as part of their budgetary cutbacks, the Home Emergency Response Scheme shows.

The report shows that in the past year, 14% have attempted DIY that they would otherwise have contracted a skilled tradesman to do, while 11% have turned to friends to help fix problems for free.

8% (roughly 1.42 million people) have avoided getting their boiler serviced; 5% have put off replacing damaged windows; and 4% report having delayed mending damaged roofs.

However, these circumventions have ended up costing homeowners a collective total exceeding £1 billion, with over 20% experiencing problems as a direct result of their cutbacks on home maintenance.

The average spend to rectify a problem was £398, with only 5% of those suffering problems covered by their standard home insurance and only 19% holding home emergency response policies.

It is estimated that 8% of those who delayed essential work suffered a home emergency such as a broken boiler. 3% - over half a million – called a tradesman to repair a DIY job that they had tried to fix and made worse themselves.

The Head of the AA’s Home Emergency Response, Tom Stringer, stressed that putting off essential maintenance work could prove a false economy if structural problems around the home were left to deteriorate.

"Home emergencies can prove expensive if homes are not maintained properly. We would suggest that apart from keeping up their home maintenance properly, homeowners should look carefully at their home insurance policy and consider a stand-alone home emergency policy for peace of mind if they are not adequately covered," he suggested.

Why not check out Which4U’s home insurance listings and make sure that you avoid false economies of your own?

Emma North