Over 50s fail to make home repairs
13/09/2011
Topic: Retiring soon
A large portion of people approaching retirement are failing to make much- needed home repairs and are choosing to "make do" instead.
That is according to new research from Saga, which showed 39% of homeowners over the age of 50 have outstanding home maintenance jobs.
Among the top three most common home improvement complaints for this age group were dripping taps, blocked drains and leaking pipes.
The cost of mending the five million repair jobs which still need doing could amount to as much as £900 million, with the price of fixing a leaking pipe costing as much as £168.
When asked why they had not made the necessary steps to fixing the problems, 38% of respondents said they were not confident enough to do them themselves, compared to 35% who said they were too short of money.
Roger Ramsden, Chief Executive of Saga Services, said: "The double whammy of a lack of confidence in their skills and income pressures means that the over 50s are not resolving essential problems around the home."
He warned that homeowners should act before the problems exacerbate into potentially far more expensive problems.
Posted by Liam Tomlinson.
That is according to new research from Saga, which showed 39% of homeowners over the age of 50 have outstanding home maintenance jobs.
Among the top three most common home improvement complaints for this age group were dripping taps, blocked drains and leaking pipes.
The cost of mending the five million repair jobs which still need doing could amount to as much as £900 million, with the price of fixing a leaking pipe costing as much as £168.
When asked why they had not made the necessary steps to fixing the problems, 38% of respondents said they were not confident enough to do them themselves, compared to 35% who said they were too short of money.
Roger Ramsden, Chief Executive of Saga Services, said: "The double whammy of a lack of confidence in their skills and income pressures means that the over 50s are not resolving essential problems around the home."
He warned that homeowners should act before the problems exacerbate into potentially far more expensive problems.
Posted by Liam Tomlinson.
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