Posted on

A Third of Brits Delaying Home Maintenance Projects

A Third of Brits Delaying Home Maintenance Projects











(PRWEB UK) 20 June 2011

New research reveals that cash-strapped homeowners are putting off home maintenance projects to save money. Nearly a third (32 per cent) of respondents said that they are delaying home maintenance and decorating jobs to save cash, while 22 per cent were putting off fitting a new kitchen and 17 per cent a new bathroom suite.            

The survey commissioned by leading comparison website, Gocompare, revealed that 32 per cent of Brits say that they really need to make some cutbacks to make ends meet. Not carrying out home maintenance and renovation projects were identified as areas where savings could be made. The survey also found that in order to reduce their outgoings, eight per cent of people would consider not renewing their home buildings insurance and another eight per cent would consider not renewing their insurance for their home contents.

Phil Paterson-Fox, Gocompare.com’s head of home services, commented, “In the current economic environment it is a good idea to review your finances and cut back on unnecessary spending – but it is important that in order to save money now, you don’t make false economies. For most of us, our home is our most valuable asset, so when making cut backs you need to ensure that it is adequately protected.

“Homeowners need to think carefully about the maintenance jobs they are putting off. While it may be ok to delay cosmetic redecorating jobs, essential repairs should not be ignored. Delaying structural repairs – a leaking roof for example, may lead to more damage and a bigger bill for repairs in the long-run than if it is dealt with promptly.”

Phil continued, “People should also think very carefully before deciding not to renew their home insurance. While it is not a legal requirement to insure your property, it is usually compulsory to have buildings insurance if you have a mortgage on your home. The cost of rebuilding a property after fire, flood or subsidence can run into tens of thousands of pounds, so even if you own your home outright, you need to consider what you would do if the worst happened. Similarly, before stopping your home contents insurance you need to think about whether you can afford to replace lost or damaged goods.

“A better solution to ditching your cover would be to shop around for a better deal. Only 22 per cent of those taking part in our survey had switched home insurance in the last 12 months, while 14 per cent had never changed provider.

“Using a comparison site to compare home insurance products is simple and fast, and you could save hundreds of pounds while benefiting from the same level of protection for your home. Last year, Gocompare.com customers saved on average, over £230 by switching their building and contents insurance*.”

For further information please contact:

Lynsey Walden or Anders Nilsson at Gocompare.com on 01633 654 055 / 01633 657 599

Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845

Notes to Editors:

Research commissioned by Gocompare.com. Carried out with 2,000 UK adults in May 2011 by OnePoll Research.

*£232 by switching their buildings and contents insurance after comparing policies from over 70 different insurers and brokers. (Based on Online independent research by Consumer Intelligence during 01 April 2011 to 30 April 2011, 10% of consumers could achieve this saving with Gocompare.com home insurance. )

Gocompare.com launched in November 2006 to help people find the right insurance cover at the right price. It was founded by Hayley Parsons who has worked her entire career in the insurance broking and aggregator markets and was the first comparison site to focus on displaying product features rather than just listing prices. It was this philosophy that led to Gocompare.com becoming the first price comparison site to be invited to join the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) in May 2008 and helped force older comparison sites to change their ‘quick quote’ ways and stop using assumptions to calculate estimated figures.

Today, Gocompare.com provides one of the most comprehensive online car insurance comparison services in the UK as well as comparing home, pet, motorbike, van insurance and breakdown cover.

Gocompare.com is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

###





















Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







Posted on

LV= Discovers Wealthy Young Brits Make Easy Target for Thieves

LV= Discovers Wealthy Young Brits Make Easy Target for Thieves










Croydon, London (PRWEB) June 19, 2010

Research from LV= Streetwise has revealed that many young brits are making themselves easy targets for thieves as 92% of 13-15 year olds carry a mobile phone on them whilst out and about with their friends, 74% carry cash and 42% leave the house with an iPod.

The clothes and gadgets carried by the average young teen on Britain’s streets are worth £246*, singling them out as targets for thieves, while 21% of 5-8 year olds carry a mobile phone** and 17% carry cash when they’re out and about with friends.

Many young people carry valuable items like a mobile phone because their parents want to keep them safe. Among 5-15 year olds, as many as 62% said their parents ask them to keep a mobile phone with them. But mums’ and dads’ attempts to protect their children when they’re out on their own may be inadvertently increasing the risk of theft, as 11-16 years olds make up a third of all mugging victims***.

Furthermore, by focusing their concerns on outside threats such as stranger danger, parents could be blinkered with regard to their children’s safety knowledge in and around the home. The LV= (http://www.lv.com/ ) Streetwise research shows that 38% of 5-15 year olds would not know how to leave the house safely in the event of a fire, and 15% don’t feel they are able to cross the road safely.

The LV= Streetwise (http://www.lv.com/aboutus/community/Streetwise ) research findings also reveal parental confusion over when it’s right to give their children more independence. 49% of parents**** said they are so unsure about what is the right age to allow certain freedoms to their kids, that they make up the rules as they go along.

Mike Rogers, LV= group chief executive, said: “Helping to steer your children safely through the world around them is one of the biggest challenges for parents today. While most parents will warn their children to be careful when carrying around cash and expensive gadgets, they may not pay the same attention to the safety risks in and around the home.

“Our purpose as an insurer is to protect people’s lives and possessions, so naturally we also feel strongly about helping to educate families about safety and risk prevention. As a founder member of the LV= Streetwise charity we have a long-term commitment to child safety, and the message is going nationwide this summer as our safety bus roadshow visits summer fairs across the UK, to educate youngsters about safety.”

The research findings come as the LV= Streetwise safety bus roadshow (http://www.lv.com/aboutus/community/safety_bus ) continues to tour the UK, helping to educate children about safety in the home, on the road and at railway crossings.

Note to editors:

All research, unless stated otherwise, was undertaken by ICM research via online method. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

*Opinium Research used online poll of 161 parents of 13-15 year olds between 30th April and 4th May 2010.

** Research undertaken 23rd March – 7th April 2010 amongst 1000 children aged 5-15 by ICM Research via online method.

*** Statistics compiled from a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to individual police forces about robberies by Conservative youth spokesman, Justine Greening MP.

**** Research undertaken by ICM Research 19-28 March 2010 via an online survey involving 6099 adults,1505 of whom were parents of children under the age of 18.

About LV=

LV= is a registered trade mark of Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society Limited (LVFS) and a trading style of the Liverpool Victoria group of companies. LV= employs around 4,000 people, serves over 3.8m customers and members, and manages around £9.3bn on their behalf.

LV= was a founder member of the charity LV= Streetwise and is still the main sponsor.

LV= offer a range of insurance products including house contents insurance (http://www.lv.com/insurance/home_insurance/tips_advice/house-contents-insurance ), buildings insurance (http://www.lv.com/insurance/home_insurance/tips_advice/buildingsinsurance ), motor insurance, life insurance, pet insurance and 50 plus life cover.

For further information, please contact:

Emma Banks

LV=

69 Park Lane

Croydon

CR9 1BG

0208 256 6714

http://www.lv.com

# # #




















Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.