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Nearly 600,000 Brits affected by neighbour's DIY
17 April 2008
Almost 600,000 homes in the UK are damaged every year by neighours carrying out improvements, new statistics show.Halifax Home Insurance estimates that £173 million in damage was inflicted to neighbouring properties by shoddy repair work in 2007.
Broken pipes and demolished walls are among the most common complaints, with 594,960 homes affected in some way.
DIY disasters account for the majority of cases, though one in ten are reportedly inflicted by professional workmen.
Just under a third of the victims surveyed said they had to foot the bill themselves, while 27 per cent of neighbours agree to share the costs.
"A number of errant DIYers are not just damaging their properties, but their neighbours' homes too," said David Rochester, head of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance.
"But even more interesting is that so many victims handle the situation with typically British aplomb," he added.
Calling in the professionals to conduct home improvement work, such as installing double glazing, is always recommended.
