UK homeowners are nearly £2,000 out of pocket – from failing to do household maintenance

The avoidable ‘cash leaks’ that are costing £1,885 on average including servicing boilers, fixing leaks, and unclogging gutters, according to research.

A study of 2,000 UK homeowners found one in four are avoiding spending money on, fixing, servicing and safety checking any of their appliances – until the worst happens and they are no longer able to use them.

Many are failing to carry out the essential home maintenance jobs that are typically prioritised for the spring months, resulting in UK homeowners losing an estimated £6.8 billion unnecessarily.

More than one in five (21 per cent) admit to having avoided tackling regular home maintenance tasks, which have ended up costing them more in the long run.

Over 15 per cent of homeowners who have experienced the ‘cash leaks’ in the home have been left out of pocket by more than £5,000.

The research was commissioned by Gas Safe Register, which revealed the top jobs homeowners are avoiding and how much it’s cost to fix in the long run.

The necessary checks

Almost two in 10 (19 per cent) fail to tackle clearing damp or mould, which could cost them £850 on average, rather than £225 if they had fixed the issue sooner.

A quarter have avoided fixing a leaking toilet, which, according to Checkatrade, can cost between £40 and £60 per hour to repair – but could lead to an average of £2,000 if the leak is major and you need a water extraction.

Checking the roof for loose tiles and leaking taps (19 per cent) also made the top five most avoided tasks – with costs increasing from £300 to over £7,500 and £0 to up to £1,500 respectively.

Tv presenter and financial adviser Emmanuel Asuquo has teamed up with Gas Safe Register to warn homeowners of the false economy – as well as the safety implications of not tackling regular maintenance jobs in time.

Emmanuel Asuquo said:

“More than ever, people are looking for ways to save money with the ongoing cost of living crisis, and there are definitely quick and easy ways to do this – from reducing your gas and electricity consumption to thinking smart when it comes to food shopping.

“But, avoiding tackling regular home maintenance jobs can really turn out to be a false economy, costing homeowners so much more in the long run.”

Emmanuel continued:

“One thing we tackled at our house when we moved in two years ago, was getting our gas boiler safety and serviced checked straight away.

“Once we had a Gas Safe Registered engineer carry out the necessary checks, the results were instant – our house now heats up much quicker and stays warmer for longer, so we don’t need the heating on all the time.

“The engineer advised us to turn down our boiler thermostat, and it meant that our gas and electricity bill went down by 20 per cent!”

Regular maintenance checks

The results also found men (26 per cent) to be the main ‘cash leaks culprits’ and are more likely to put off tackling maintenance jobs around the home than women (17 per cent).

In fact, almost a quarter of men (21 per cent) have ended up paying out over £2,000 to rectify issues in their home that they’ve put off – compared to just eight per cent of women.

It almost emerged that homeowners in Northern Ireland have ended forking out the most be putting off these jobs (42 per cent), while those in Greater London (38 per cent) and those in the North East follow close behind (29 per cent).