Maintenance and repair avoidance costing billions

New research has revealed that UK homeowners are losing an average of £1885 by failing to carry out essential home maintenance jobs, such as getting their boilers serviced – meaning avoidable ‘cash leaks’ are costing UK households £6.8bn unnecessarily.

Gas Safe Register surveyed 2000 UK homeowners and found that the cost-of-living squeeze is seeing more than one in four people trying to avoid spending money on fixing, or servicing and safety checking any of their household appliances until the worst happens and they are no longer able to use them.

The survey found that over one in five admitted to having avoided tackling regular home maintenance tasks, which have ended up costing them more in the long run.

Top of the list was fixing a leaking toilet (25%) which, according to Checkatrade, can cost £40-£60 per hour to repair versus an emergency call out fee of £100-120, but could lead to a massive £2633 on average, if the leak is major and causes property damage.

This was followed by having gas appliances serviced and safety checked annually (21%) – and estimates from the experts at Checkatrade reveal the potential costs of leaving these and more issues unchecked, with the average cost estimated at £100 now vs. more than £400 further down the line, and clearing damp or mould (19%) (£225 to draught proof windows and doors now vs. £850 on average if damp proofing is finally required).

Checking the roof for loose tiles (19%) and leaking taps (19%) made up the top five with costs going from £300 to more than £7500, and £0 to up to £1500, respectively.

As for who are the main home ‘cash leak culprits’, the research found that men are much more likely than women to put off tackling home maintenance jobs around the home, which has only ended up costing them more money in the long run (26% of men, as opposed to 17% of women). In fact, almost a quarter of men (21%) have ended up paying out over £2000 in order to rectify issues in their home that they have put off, compared to just 8% of women.

Whilst it’s homeowners in Northern Ireland who have ended up forking out more in the long run by putting these jobs off, (42%), closely followed by homeowners in Greater London (38%), and those in the North East (29%).

When it comes to attitudes and behaviours towards gas safety and regular maintenance of all gas appliances in the home,  separate research revealed that only a third of homeowners knew that house fires can result from not having gas appliances safety checked on annual basis, and just under half correctly identified that collapsing and developing nausea can indicate carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from unsafe and, or, unchecked gas appliances.

Rob Denman, head of professional and field services at Gas Safe Register, says: “With the cost of living rising across the country, including higher energy bills, there is no denying that we’re all feeling the financial squeeze. But, much like with our health, prevention is better than cure when it comes to gas safety and keeping you covered for the unexpected.

“Boilers are among one of the most important appliances within our homes, as it keeps our water hot and our homes warm when it’s most needed – so it’s important that we stay on top of their upkeep. A regularly serviced boiler not only keeps it working efficiently, helping reduce bills, but can also reduce the risk of gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning – keeping you and your loved ones safe.”