ONE IN FOUR PEOPLE HURT THEMSELVES DOING DIY
Posted by: electime 21st September 2020
22 per cent need first aid help after attempting DIY, and 2 per cent end up in hospital- 44 per cent of homeowners have NEVER had an electrical safety check
- 16 per cent confessed their boiler has NEVER been serviced
- 64 per cent admit they don’t have the skills for home improvements
- 14 per cent believe keeping their home maintained is unconnected to home insurance
- Decorating is the DIY task resulting in the LARGEST number of insurance claims
New research from Admiral home insurance has revealed that one in four (24 per cent) people have caused themselves an injury whilst undertaking DIY tasks. Of those who injured themselves attempting DIY tasks, more than a fifth (22 per cent) needed first-aid attention and 2 per cent had a major injury, ending up in hospital.
Completing work around that house that needs a professional is not only putting people at risk of injuring themselves, but also of seriously damaging their properties.
Don’t have a go, call a pro
When asked if certain tasks needed a professional or could be done by themselves, one in 10 people (10 per cent) thought it would be ok to attempt re-wiring electrical work themselves, something that needs expert approval.
Meanwhile, 7 per cent of people thought they could install a boiler themselves, a job that needs to be undertaken by a certified professional, and disturbingly 6 per cent said they thought it was ok to install a gas appliance themselves.
To help homeowners avoid falling behind with home maintenance tasks that could later impact on their insurance and to help them identify jobs where a qualified professional is essential, Admiral has created a new tool. Users can quickly identify whether a range of tasks around the home are up to date or overdue and get an indication of costs for the tools needed to DIY the job or an estimated cost to call in a professional.
Home maintenance safety risks
When asked about a series of tasks that are generally recommended to be completed at regular intervals around a home, the results revealed some key tasks that are not being kept up to date, meaning the safety of people’s homes, as well as the appearance could be at risk.
Worryingly, more than two fifths (44 per cent) of homeowners didn’t think they’d EVER had an electrical safety check, a job its recommended is completed at least once every ten years.
Over a fifth (22 per cent) of homeowners admitted they had never cleared out their gutters or drains – something that could result in a more costly claim following a storm.
Meanwhile 16 per cent confessed their boiler has either never been serviced, or was serviced so long ago they couldn’t actually remember when, despite it being a job that is recommended should be completed annually.
Many respondents were unaware of a link between keeping their property in good working order and the potential impact on their home insurance with 14 per cent believing that maintenance and insurance were unconnected, and 40 per cent confessing they’d never even considered it.
Only 23 per cent of people accurately said that not completing regular home maintenance tasks could affect their claim.
Like most insurers, Admiral requires that its customers maintain their property in a good state of repair. Failing to do so could affect any claims they want to make as a result.
Home maintenance: The jobs homeowners DON’T keep up to date
| Task | % who have NEVER completed the task or can’t remember when they last did it |
| Electrical safety check | 44 |
| Check downpipes and repair if necessary | 39 |
| Check roof tiles and replace any broken or missing ones | 36 |
| Check for leaks and repair as necessary | 33 |
| Clear gutters and drains | 22 |
| Clean and maintain chimneys/ wood burners | 20 |
| Boiler service | 16 |
| Test and replace fire/ carbon dioxide alarms | 15 |
Inexpensive improvements
When it comes to home improvement, Admiral found there were plenty of DIY jobs homeowners felt confident they could do themselves, like bleeding radiators (61 per cent) painting the interior of their homes (60 per cent) and building and installing flat pack furniture (54 per cent).
When it comes to having a ‘go’ at these tasks, the findings revealed this is most commonly because it’s the cheapest option (58 per cent) with getting a sense of satisfaction (47 per cent) and enjoying doing DIY (26 per cent) itself also proving to be good motivation.
Time to call a pro
Conversely, there were some jobs that homeowners admitted they would be more likely to call a professional in for straight away. Admiral found that more difficult jobs like replacing windows (77 per cent), replacing roof tiles (76 per cent) and removing interior walls (74 per cent) were the top jobs requiring expert support.
Whilst tackling the ‘easy’ jobs was about saving money and enjoying the process, hiring a professional was most commonly based on belief that they didn’t have the skills they needed to the job themselves, something almost two thirds of respondents confessed (64 per cent).
Three in five (60 per cent) said they would hire help because they thought a professional would do the job better, and around half (46 per cent) of homeowners in the UK admit they had to pay a professional because they didn’t know how to do the job in hand.
Admiral’s new online tool will help homeowners identify important home maintenance tasks and whether they are overdue being completed. Admiral also has a useful guide to home improvements available online.
