Home improvement survey

 Fieldwork was conducted via the Ipsos MORI online iOmnibus.
 Data are weighted to reflect the population profile.
 Where percentages do not add up to exactly 100% this is due to
computer rounding.
 Figures for sub-groups which differ from the overall mean and are
statistically significant are represented by a black box surrounding
the figure.
 Please also note that the ‘margin of error’ on these figures is c.+/-
3.1% at the ‘95% confidence interval’. This means, for example, that
a figure of 50% could actually fall anywhere between 46.9% and
53.1%, though it is far more likely to fall at 50% than at the extreme
ends of this range.
2
Methodology
1,020 online
interviews were
conducted across
England with adults
aged 18-75 between
19 February and
22 February 2021.

Home improvements and repairs, and what
motivates or hinders people from doing them

4
Q3. Overall, taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the property you consider
to be your MAIN home?
Base: All adults aged 18-75 in England (Overall: 1020; 50-70 year olds: 379) : Fieldwork dates: 19-22 February 2021
35%
43%
41%
40%
11%
7%
9%
8%
3
2
1
*
Overall
50-70 year olds
Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither/nor
Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied Don't know Satisfied Dissatisfied
76% 12%
83% 10%
Three quarters say they are satisfied with their home
Three quarters (76%) of
those in England say they
are satisfied with their
home with just 12%
saying the are
dissatisfied. Those aged
between 50 and 70
however have higher
levels of satisfaction with
their home than average.
Overall
50-70 year olds

5
Q4. What types, if any, of the following home improvements or repairs to the home you live in do you think are a
priority in the next two years? Top 10 mentions
28
27
23
21
21
17
15
14
14
13
65
58
20
29
25
21
25
22
16
13
11
13
8
63
51
13
Kitchen renovations
Bedroom renovations
Bathroom renovations
Lounge/living room renovations
Garden/landscaping renovations
Window repairs
Flooring repairs
Door repairs
Boiler/heating system repairs
Damp/mould repairs
NET: Renovations
NET: Repairing and replacing
NET: Accessibility adaptations
Home renovations are a priority for two-thirds of people in
England
Home renovations are the
most cited types of work that
are a priority for people in the
next two years followed by
repair work. Those aged 50-70
however are more likely to say
they don’t need improvements
or repairs than the average
(22% vs. 17%). Kitchen,
bedroom, and bathroom
renovations are the most
mentioned types of work
needed.
Overall Top 10 50-70 year olds

6
Base: All adults aged 18-75 in England (ABs: 276; DEs: 228) : Fieldwork dates: 19-22 February 2021
30
29
28
26
21
21
21
20
18
17
72
67
29
23
25
12
17
12
7
18
16
16
11
50
52
15
Kitchen renovations
Bedroom renovations
Flooring repairs
Fencing repairs
Window repairs
Door repairs
NET: Renovations
Those within higher social grade bands are more likely to say
repairs and renovations are a priority
Those in the AB social grade
were most likely to say repairs
and renovations are a priority.
Just over seven in ten (72%)
say renovations are a priority
(compared to 50% of those in
the DE social grade) while 67%
said repairs were a priority
(compared to 52% in the DE
social grade).
ABs Top 10 DEs

29
27
26
25
22
17
16
15
14
14
72
62
21
25
27
13
20
20
16
14
12
13
10
54
53
21
Kitchen renovations
Bedroom renovations
Window repairs
Flooring repairs
Door repairs
Fencing
NET: Renovations
7
Base: All adults aged 18-75 in England (Owners: 638; Renters: 355) : Fieldwork dates: 19-22 February 2021
Both a majority of owners and renters say renovations and
repairs are a priority in the next two years
Home owners are more
likely to say both
renovations and repairs
are a priority for their home
than renters (although a
majority in both categories
said these were priorities).
Owners were also much
more likely to mention
garden renovations as a
priority than renters.
Owners Renters

8
27
25
22
21
21
15
13
13
12
12
64
56
19
34
33
26
27
22
26
22
14
22
15
73
67
23
Kitchen renovations
Bedroom renovations
Window repairs
Flooring repairs
Door repairs
Fencing repairs
NET: Renovations
Those dissatisfied with their home are more likely to say
repairs are a priority than those satisfied with their home
Two thirds (67%) of those
dissatisfied with their
home say repairs are a
priority compared to 56%
of those satisfied with
their home. These
individuals are also more
likely to mention window
and boiler/heating system
repairs as a priority.
Satisfied with home Dissatisfied with home

9
Q5. What are the main reasons for you wanting to carry out these home improvements or repairs in your home? Top 5 mentions
Base: All who mentioned at least one home improvement/repair priority (Overall: 800; 50-70 year olds: 288) :
Fieldwork dates: 19-22 February 2021
Comfort is the most mentioned reason for making repairs or
improvements followed by maintenance and making your
home more attractive
While comfort was the
overall most cited reason
for making repairs or
improvements, those
aged 50-70 were more
likely than average to say
maintenance, repair or
necessity as a reason for
their home repairs or
renovations.
48
41
38
23
21
49
50
41
20
18
For your own comfort
For maintenance,
repair or necessity
To make your home
more attractive
To make your home
easier to live in
Because you enjoy it

10
Q5. What are the main reasons for you wanting to carry out these home improvements or repairs in your home? Top 5 mentions
Base: All who mentioned at least one home improvement/repair priority (ABs: 233; DEs: 160) :
The top reasons for making home improvements or repairs
are consistent across social grades
While the top reasons for
making changes to their home
was consistent across social
grades, those within the AB
grade were significantly more
likely than average to say
because they enjoy it (28% vs.
21%), to increase the value of
their home (19% vs. 14%),
and to make it easier to work
from home (15% vs. 9%).
49
37
37
28
25
46
37
32
16
18
For your own comfort
For maintenance,
repair or necessity
To make your home
more attractive
Because you enjoy it
To make your home
easier to live in
ABs Top 5 DEs

11
Q6. And how many, if any, of these home improvements or repairs that you mentioned do you think will be carried out in
the next two years? Base: All who mentioned at least one home improvement/repair priority (Overall: 800; 50-70 year olds: 288) :
Most people do not think they will be able to do all of their
mentioned priority repairs or improvements in the next two
years
Just over a third (36%)
say they will be able to do
all of their mentioned
repairs or renovations
while half (51%) say they
will do some of them. A
small minority (7%) think
they will not be able to do
any of them.
36%
39%
51%
47%
7%
8%
5%
6%
Overall
50-70 year olds
All of them Some of them None of them Don't know
Overall
50-70 year olds

12
Q6. And how many, if any, of these home improvements or repairs that you mentioned do you think will be carried out in the
next two years? Base: All who mentioned at least one home improvement/repair priority (AB: 233; C1: 286; C2: 121; DE: 160) :
Those within the higher social grade bands were more likely to
say all or some of their improvements or repairs would get done
Two in five (41%) within the
AB social grade say all of
their priority improvements
would get done compared
with 30% in the DE social
grade. Those within the DE
social grade were
significantly more likely than
average to say none of their
priorities would get done
(13% vs. 7%).
41%
37%
32%
30%
52%
50%
56%
48%
5%
6%
8%
13%
2
6%
4%
9%
AB
C2
C1
DE

39%
31%
52%
50%
5%
12%
4%
7%
Owners
Renters
13
Q6. And how many, if any, of these home improvements or repairs that you mentioned do you think will be carried out in
the next two years? Base: All who mentioned at least one home improvement/repair priority (Owners: 538; 50-70 Renters: 246) :
Home owners are more likely to say that all of their mentioned
priority repairs or improvements will be carried out
Nearly two in five (39%) of
owners think that all of
their mentioned repairs or
improvements will be
carried out in the next two
years compared to 31% of
renters. Renters are also
more likely to say none of
the mentioned items
would be carried out (12%
vs. 5% of owners).
Owners
Renters

14
Q7. Which of the following reasons, if any, best explain why you won’t be making some of the home improvement or repairs to
your home mentioned earlier in the next two years? Top 5 mentions Base: All who mentioned at least one home improvement/
repair priority however will not make all/any improvements/repairs or are unsure (Overall: 514; 50-70 year olds: 175)
45
24
18
13
13
50
30
15
9
10
I can’t afford it
I don’t have the skills to
do it myself
I am worried about
having people in my
home due to COVID 19
I don’t have the time
It would cause too much
disruption to my daily life
Affordability is the top reason for people being unlikely to
carry out all of their home improvements or repairs
Affordability was the top
reason mentioned by all
groups when it comes to
not doing all of their
improvements or repairs.
However there is a
significant difference
between men and women
where 53% of women cite
affordability vs. 37% of
men.

50
23
19
15
13
I can’t afford it
I don’t have the skills to do it myself
I am worried about having people in my
There are too many repairs or
improvements to be done
I don’t have the time
15
Home owners are more likely than average to say affordability
is their reason for not doing all improvements or repairs
Half (50%) of owners who
won’t be making all of their
home improvements or
repairs say it’s due to
affordability which is higher
than average (45%). They
are also more likely than
average to say there are too
many improvements or
repairs to be done (15%
vs.12%).
Owners Top 5
repair priority however will not make all/any improvements/repairs or are unsure (Owners: 324)

37
27
25
17
16
I can’t afford it
I don’t have the skills to do it myself
I don’t own my home, so not worth the
investment
My landlord refuses to arrange to have the
work done
I am worried about having people in my
16
Renters are also most likely to say affordability is their reason
for not doing all improvements or repairs
While affordability is also
the top reason mentioned
by renters (37%), 25% said
one of their reasons for not
doing improvements or
repairs is because they
don’t own their home so
not worth the investment.
17% said it’s because their
landlord refuses to arrange
to have the work done.
Renters Top 5
repair priority however will not make all/any improvements/repairs or are unsure (Renters: 175)

17
Q8. And which of the following, if any, would encourage you to improve or repair your home? Top 10 mentions
Base: All adults aged 18-75 in England (Overall: 1020; 50-70 year olds: 379) :
24
24
18
16
16
15
15
13
8
8
22
28
11
17
15
14
12
9
10
5
Receiving a grant to cover some or all of the costs of the work
Finding a trustworthy tradesperson to do the job
Having more time
Feeling safe from COVID-19
The issue or problem gets worse
Finding the time to do the work
Restrictions due to COVID-19 are lifted
Learning how to do the work myself
Receiving more info on how to get started or arrange these repairs
Receiving a low-interest personal loan to do the work
Receiving a grant and finding a trustworthy tradesperson are
the top ways to encourage people to do home repairs or
improvements
While receiving a
grant was the top way
overall to encourage
making home repairs
or improvements
finding a trusting
tradesperson is the
top mention for 50-70
year olds.

34%
31%
30%
30%
26%
24%
13%
31%
49%
40%
45%
47%
44%
60%
34%
25%
21%
21%
19%
20%
7%
29%
54%
50%
57%
57%
49%
66%
18
Q9. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following?
Base: All who mentioned at least one home improvement/repair priority (Overall: 800; 50-70 year olds: 288) :
More tend to disagree than agree that not doing their home
improvements will have negative consequences
More disagree than agree that
not doing their home
improvements or repairs will
have negative consequences
- the one exception being that
not doing the changes will
mean the value of their home
will decrease. Those aged 50-
70 are more likely than
average to disagree that not
making the changes will have
negative consequences.
Overall 50-70 year olds
Not making improvements means that the
value of my home will decrease
I’m embarrassed to have visitors to my home
because of improvements/repairs that need
to be done
Not making improvements/repairs will have a
negative impact on my mental health
Not making improvements/repairs will be a
daily inconvenience for me
Not making improvements will have negative
impact on my physical health
Not making repairs will increase my
household bills
Not making improvements means some
friends/relatives who have a disability aren’t
able to visit my home
Agree Disagree

35%
32%
21%
26%
43%
45%
52%
43%
19
Q9. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following? Not making improvements/repairs will be a daily inconvenience for me
Base: All who mentioned at least one home improvement/repair priority (AB: 800; 50-70 year olds: 288) :
Those within the AB social grade were more likely to say not
making the changes would be a daily inconvenience for them
More then two-thirds (35%) in
the AB social grade agree
that not making their priority
improvements or repairs
would be a daily
inconvenience for them
(compared to 30% overall).
AB
C2
C1
DE
Agree Disagree

20
Q14. Lastly, which of the following would you consider getting general information or advice from about making
home improvements or repairs to your home? 10+ mentions
42
34
15
13
13
10
44
36
15
11
14
10
Speaking with friends or family
members
Speaking with a tradesperson
or builder directly
A trade supplier/salesperson
Online forums or message
boards
A national government website
The local authority
Speaking with friends and family is the most sought out way
to get advice on doing home improvements or repairs
Speaking with friends or
family is the top mentioned
way people would consider
getting advice on home
improvements or repairs
followed by speaking directly
with a tradesperson. Few
mentioned consumer sites
such as Which? or charities
such as CAB (both
mentioned by 8%).

48
41
18
14
15
31
22
11
12
10
Speaking with friends or family
members
Speaking with a tradesperson
or builder directly
A trade supplier/salesperson
Online forums or message
boards
A national government website
21
Home owners are more likely than renters to seek advice from
friends or family as well as directly speaking to a tradesperson
Both owners and renters
were most likely to seek
advice by speaking to a
friend or family member
although owners were
more likely to do this. A
quarter (27%) of renters
mentioned they would
speak directly to their
landlord about making
improvements or repairs.
Owners Renters
Q14. Lastly, which of the following would you consider getting general information or advice from about making
home improvements or repairs to your home? 10+ mentions
Base: All adults aged 18-75 in England (Owners: 638; Renters: 355) : Fieldwork dates: 19-22 February 2021

Trust and distrust in tradespeople to carry
out home improvements and repairs

8
56
25
4
7 4
56
29
3
8
23
Q13. When thinking about tradespeople in general, for example plumbers, electricians, builders, etc., how much
would you say that you trust them overall?
Nearly two thirds of English adults tend to trust tradespeople
in general
Most people (63%) tend to
trust tradespeople overall
while three in ten (30%)
say that they do not trust
them. These levels of trust
are consistent amongst
most subgroups however
distrust rises to 45% for
those dissatisfied with their
home (50% trust
tradespeople).
% Don’t
know
% Not at all
% A fair
amount
% A great
deal
% Not very
much
Great deal/ fair
amount
63%
Not very much/
not at all
30%
Great deal/ fair
amount
60%
Not very much/
not at all
32%

24
Q13b. Which of the following reasons, if any, best explains why you do not trust tradespeople overall? Top 5 mentions
Base: All who do not very much or do not at all trust tradespeople (Overall: 301; 50-70 year olds: 125) :
49
49
42
38
35
56
59
42
39
44
I don’t trust that they will give
me a fair cost for the job
I am worried they might not
do a good job
I am worried about costs of a
job increasing
I am worried about being
encouraged to pay for work
that isn’t necessary
I’ve had difficulties in the past
with tradespeople
Concerns over providing a fair cost and not doing a good job
are the top reasons English adults distrust tradespeople
Half of those who don’t trust
tradespeople (49%) say it’s
because they’re worried they
either won’t provide a fair cost
or are worried they won’t do a
good job. People aged 50-70
are more likely than average
to say they are worried about
them not doing a good job
(59%) or have had difficulties
with tradespeople in the past
(44% vs. 35% overall).

25
Q13c. And which of the following, if any, would make you more confident when looking to hire a tradesperson to
carry out repairs or home improvements on your home?
51
39
29
25
22
19
10
8
5
1
1
4
5
59
47
34
22
22
17
8
7
4
*
2
4
3
They were recommended by a friend or someone I trust
I’ve hired them in the past to do a job
Being a member of an accredited trade association
Being able to see examples of their work
Having a positive review from an independent source such as Which? or Trustpilot
Having many years of experience
The Council or my Housing Association has recommended them to me
Having a webpage for their business with up-to-date information
My landlord has recommended them
Other
None of the above
Nothing
Don't know
Most say a personal recommendation is what would make
them more confident when looking to hire a tradesperson
A personal recommendation
is the most mentioned thing
that instils more confidence
when hiring a tradesperson.
This is followed by past
experience of using a
particular tradesperson and
being a member of an
accredited trade
association. Figures for
each of these were
significantly higher amongst
50-70 year olds.

Awareness and use of the Green Homes
Grant Scheme

2 6
22
28
39
3
27
Q11. How much, if anything, would you say you know about the Green Homes Grant scheme?
Few say they know a great deal or fair amount about the
Green Homes Grant Scheme
Just 13% overall say they
know a great deal or fair
amount about the Green
Homes Grant Scheme
which declines to just 8%
amongst 50-70 year olds.
Two in five (39%) overall
have never heard of it
which rises to 46%
amongst renters.
4
10
20
24
39
4
% Never heard
of it
% Heard of,
know nothing
% A fair
amount
% A great
deal
% Just a
little
% Don’t
know
A great deal/
fair amount
13%
A great deal/
fair amount
8%

28
Two in five English home owners say they would likely use the
scheme to carry out home improvements
After having a short
explanation of what the
grant scheme is, 39% of
home owners say they
would likely use the
scheme (44% say unlikely)
this number falls however
amongst those aged 50-70
where a quarter (25%) say
they are likely to use it
(55% say unlikely).
14
25
25
20
1
15
Likely 39%
Unlikely 44%
Likely 25%
Unlikely 55%
Q12. How likely or unlikely would you be to carry out a home improvement using the Green Homes Grant scheme?
Base: All home owners (Overall: 638; 50-70 year olds: 279) : Fieldwork dates: 19-22 February 2021
% Already
used scheme
% Not at
all likely
% Fairly
likely
% Very
likely
% Not very
likely
% Don’t
know
6
19
29
25
1
19

21
12
10
10
34
22
22
19
20
26
34
18
15
19
24
26
2
2
10
19
7
28
% Very likely % Fairly likely
% Not very likely % Not at all likely
% Already used scheme % Don't know
Likely Not likely
55% 35%
34% 44%
33% 58%
29% 44%
29
Home owners in the AB social grade are most likely to say
they will take advantage of the Green Homes Grant Scheme
The AB social grade
category is the only social
grade with a majority saying
they will likely use the
scheme with 55%. This is
significantly higher than the
average (39%) as well as
each of the other social
grades where between 29%
and 34% said they would
likely use the scheme.
Q12. How likely or unlikely would you be to carry out a home improvement using the Green Homes Grant scheme?
Base: All home owners (AB: 190; C1: 236; C2: 105; DE: 107) : Fieldwork dates: 19-22 February 2021
AB
C2
C1
DE

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