Avoidable ‘cash leaks’ are costing homeowners on average £1,885. Failing to carry out essential home maintenance jobs that are typically prioritised for the spring months, means that UK households are losing an additional estimated £6.8bn unnecessarily.
The new research from Gas Safe Register – the UK’s official registration body for gas engineers and gas businesses has revealed that due to the current cost-of-living squeeze more than 1 in 4 are 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.
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 devastating £2,000 on average, if the leak is major and you need water extracting from your home. 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 £7,500 and £0 to up to £1,500 respectively.
