Pounds Sterling 780 Million Repair Bill in the Past Year for New Homeowners
One in four people selling a home (25%) has tried to hide faults Homebuyers spend an average of Pounds Sterling 1,076 repairing damage to their homes within the first year of ownership
(firmenpresse) - LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwire) -- 12/02/11 -- One in four people (25%) deliberately covered up faults the last time they sold a home, resulting in a huge and unexpected bill for homebuyers, according to new research for the AA's service. The findings reveal that in the past twelve months alone, people buying a house or flat have collectively spent GBP 780 million repairing damage within the first year of ownership, an average of GBP 1,076 each.
Around 6.4 million people who have sold or tried to sell a home admit to having disguised damage to the property, according to the AA's figures. Around 3.3 million people admit to covering up cracks with filler, equivalent to 13% of those who have sold or tried to sell a home. Nearly half a million people have covered up cracks with wallpaper.
Some 1.9 million people (7%) have covered up a damp patch by repainting, re-plastering or replacing wallpaper. Almost 600,000 (2%) have made minimal effort in disguising the problem, simply covering up a damp patch by hanging a picture over it or moving furniture in front of it.
Another 1.4 million (6%) have put down a rug to cover up marks or damage on the floor, and the same number have moved furniture to hide damage to walls or floors. Around 2 per cent of those selling a home (around 460,000 people) have adjusted the central heating to stop noises coming from the system, and the same percentage, around 420,000 people, have temporarily stopped dripping water by using tape or gum.
Other acts of deliberate damage disguise include hiding evidence of mice or other pests by sweeping up their droppings, and even using oil to stop the noise of a squeaky floorboard.
With the Easter and May Day bank holiday weekends a key time for prospective home buyers to start viewing properties, has produced a checklist as a reminder of some of the 'hidden' issues to look out for when looking at a new home. The checklist can be found at
Tom Stringer, Head of AA Home Emergency Response, said: "A lot of potentially serious problems with properties can be covered up relatively easily, but can prove very costly to repair. We often make decisions about a new home with our heart rather than our head, so it is vital that people looking to purchase a home make sure they know what to look for or ask about when they are viewing a property, from whether the boiler is regularly serviced to missing or cracked slates or tiles.
"Often people can move into a new home and find themselves in an unexpected and expensive mess when an undetected problem rears its ugly head. People might mistakenly think their standard home insurance covers them for emergencies, but things do go wrong with alarming regularity so it's worth checking your home insurance policy carefully and if you are not covered, consider looking at stand-alone home emergency policies to provide you with complete peace of mind."
Those selling a home in London are most likely to have covered up damage, with 19% admitting to having disguised at least one fault before showing their property to potential buyers. Home buyers in London have unsurprisingly also spent the most on average on repairing faults within the first year of ownership. They have typically spent GBP 1,364 compared to only GBP 738 for those in the East Midlands.
About AA Home Emergency Response
AA Home Emergency Response cover provides a network of approved tradesmen available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are no call-out charges or policy excesses and for work carried out under the policy, parts and labour are guaranteed. Cover is available to both existing AA members and non members.
Customers wishing to find out more information should visit: or call 0800 107 1031
Contacts:
AA Press Office
Sue Beeson
01256 492874
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Ian Morris or Brandon Stockwell
020 7638 9571
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Datum: 02.12.2011 - 19:02 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 93609
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