Data Reveals Almost a Quarter of a Million Brits Struggle with this Home DIY Job

Society 14 March 2023 By

Many home maintenance jobs can be done without the need to call out a professional. However, we don’t know how to repair common faults and ensure everything runs correctly.

New research from the home insurance team at Comparethemarket has analysed Google search volume data to discover the home DIY jobs Brits need the most help with.

As Brits make hundreds of thousands of Google searches each month for DIY-related queries such as ‘how to plaster a wall’ ‘how to lay a patio’, and ‘how to rewire a house’, the home insurance team at Comparethemarket has analysed which DIY tasks people turn to Google for help with the most.

The comparison site also spoke with a facilities management expert to find out which home DIY projects homeowners should leave to the professionals to avoid costly damage or injury.

  • The most searched-for home DIY “how to” questions.
  • The three most commonly searched for DIY tutorials relate to plumbing and heating, as Brits Google ‘how to unblock a toilet’ an average of 20,000 times each month, “how to bleed a radiator” 18,000  times and ‘how to unblock a sink’ 4,900 times.
  • How to avoid DIY and home renovations invalidating your home insurance?

David Williams, who runs a Southampton-based facilities management company, said: “The most common mistakes I see are with plumbing and electrical works. Naturally, you need a professional. Electrical more so for the safety side of things and plumbing to avoid major damage to your house.”

“I had one person try and change a ball cock valve located in the water tank in a loft area of the house. They made a big mistake; the pipe burst and flooded their house ankle-deep in water.”

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of DIY, but before you head to your local hardware shop, you should know a few things about how DIY mistakes could affect your home insurance.

Anna McEntee from the home insurance team at Comparethemarket explains: “If damage to your property or contents is a result of getting a little over-enthusiastic and smashing through something important, you won’t get a payout.”

“If everyone is safe, and there is no immediate danger from the DIY mishap, and the gas, water, or electricity has been switched off as necessary, the next job isn’t to reach for the plasterboard – it’s to contact your insurance provider.

“Having accidental damage cover as part of your home insurance policy could protect you if something is damaged in the home or to your belongings while completing a DIY project.”