British homes in state of disrepair

Research from Direct Line Home Response 24 Insurance reveals that despite an obsession with aesthetic home improvement, close to one in three Britons (30 per cent) waits over a year before completing necessary repair work with one in 10 putting it off for more than three years.

And it's women who are more ineffectual than men at getting round to the job in hand. Nearly a third of women (32 per cent) delay the repairs for more than a year compared to 27 per cent of men.

Overall however, it is DIY TV addicts who are the worse culprits. Too busy watching Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 89 per cent of viewers confess to not seeing to emergency repairs which are needed, compared to 86 per cent of general Britons.

Excusing the fact that they have let their home maintenance slip, five per cent admit they like watching the shows but don't like the actual work whereas nearly half of Britons (45 per cent) simply haven't got around to carrying out the work and a hopeful one in 10 (11 per cent) are waiting for someone else in the house to sort out the problem.

Plumbing is at the top of the to do list for 14 per cent with rewiring needed by eight per cent and roof repairs by six per cent.

Kate Syred, Business Manager, Direct Line Home Response 24 Insurance, said:

''Homeowners are so houseproud they're prioritising the aesthetics of their property over necessary repair work. Not carrying out essential repairs could cause more damage and expense in the long term though and we'd advise everyone to do a yearly home MOT in the same way they would with a car to make sure that everything is in order. For the those that don't have the skills to do this themselves, it's worth getting in the experts for peace of mind."

-ends-

For further information please contact:

Notes to editor