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UK DIYers cost neighbours £173m

UK homeowners are inflicting some £173 million worth of repair costs on their neighbours as a result of botched DIY projects, it has been revealed.

According to research conducted by HBOS, nearly 600,000 homes are damaged through their neighbours' attempts at renovating their properties.

The average cost of reversing the destruction in the last five years is £291, including burst pipes, demolished walls and broken ornaments.

One in three people had to foot the bill or claim on their own home insurance as a consequence, while even more people contributed to the cost.

David Rochester, head of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, commented: "A number of errant DIYers are not just damaging their properties, but their neighbours' homes too.

"But even more interesting is that so many victims handle the situation with typically British aplomb. Indeed, over two-thirds of them chose to pay towards the cost of repairing their home - rather than create a fuss."

UK homes are threatened by the weather as well as their neighbours' efforts at DIY, according to Halifax, which has stated that some 1.5 million roofs were damaged by high winds last year.

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© Adfero Ltd

14/04/2008 15:22:56

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