Holidaymakers return to home emergencies
As the summer holidays begin, many will be jetting off and leaving their home empty for a week or two.
But some may come back to an unwelcome surprise. New research from AA Home Membership reveals that a quarter (25%) have returned from a holiday to find that they’d had a domestic disaster at home.
The most common problem was a water leak which struck almost a third (30%) of those who’d had a home emergency. That was followed by a boiler breakdown (18%), burglary (15%) and wasp nests (13%). Electrical faults (11%) and broken appliances (11%) also featured highly.
As well as the misfortune of suffering one of these problems, the cost of repairing it isn’t cheap. In fact, half of those who had a water leak paid over £100 to fix it. An unlucky one in five (20%) had to fork out more than £1,000.
Helen Brooker, Head of AA Home Membership said: “It’s really unlucky to have something go wrong when you’re not around to put it right, or at least stop it from getting worse.
“While a lot of these disasters are probably completely unexpected, there are a couple of things you can do to help prevent things going wrong. It’s a good idea to turn off your water at the stopcock just in case a weak pipe joint or a washing machine valve decides to fail and soak your house while you’re soaking up the sun.
“If you have a friend or neighbour close by who you trust it’s worth giving them a spare key so they can pop in from time to time to check on the house – and bring in the post and perhaps water your plants while they’re there.”
Preventing a holiday disaster
To reduce the risk of a domestic disaster, nine out of ten (91%) holidaymakers check that windows and doors are locked before they go away. Almost a quarter (73%) turn off all electrical appliances and nearly four out of ten (38%) switch the boiler off. But Mrs Brooker points out: “Only a fifth (20%) turns off their water at the stopcock before they go. That’s probably why a water leak is the most likely – and possibly most costly – problem holidaymakers could return home to.”
Two-thirds (63%) give a spare key to a friend or neighbour. Holidaymakers in the North East are most likely to do this (74%) while Londoners are the least likely to do so (53%).
People in Yorkshire and Humberside were most likely to have had a home emergency (32%) while they were on holiday, while it happened to half as many Welsh holidaymakers (16%).
Summer boiler service offer
The AA is currently offering a ‘summer saviour’ annual boiler service at the special price of £59 until 31st August – that’s a saving of £30.
An annual boiler service is a safety and efficiency check which Gas Safe recommends is carried out each year. A poorly-maintained boiler will be less effective and, importantly, more likely to break down when the cold weather returns, leading to higher running and repair costs.
This offer is available by calling 0800 9759827 and more information can be found at theaa.com.
Have you ever come home from holiday to find any of the following? (All who’d had a home emergency)
Task - Percentage
Water leak 30%
Boiler stopped working 18%
Home had been burgled 15%
Wasps nest 13%
Electrical fault 11%
Broken appliance 11%
Things were stolen from the garden 9%
Roof damage 6%
Smashed/cracked window 4%
Blocked drain 4%
Rat/mice infestation 3%
Gas leak 1%
Fire damage 1%
Other 11%
Which of the following, if any, do you do before going on holiday?
Task - Percentage
Check all the windows and doors are locked 91%
Turn off electrical appliances 73%
Leave your holiday contact details with someone 67%
Give a spare key to a friend or family member 63%
Sweep up any bread crumbs 56%
Turn the boiler off 38%
Turn the water off at the stopcock 20%
Check the weather forecast for the area where you live 16%
Clear the gutters 1%
None of these 1%
I don’t tend to go on holiday 5%