Experts HouseLogic.com say homeowners should put away one to three percent of the purchase price of their homes (or whatever they can afford) annually for ongoing maintenance. This amounts to $ 2,000- $ 6,000 per year for a $ 0,000 home. However, we recently conducted an online survey by Harris Poll that found that 60 percent of American homeowners do not have a maintenance fund. This means that many homeowners could be at risk for major financial headaches down the road. For example, replace or repair a roof is one of the largest expenses a homeowner can have one-that can come without warning. Nationally, the average homeowner spends about $ 6,0 to install a new roof, but prices can soar up to $ 20,000, depending on the roof size, materials, cost of labor work and more.
Nearly one in four homeowners * (23 percent) admitted never or inspect their roof inspected unless there is a problem. Almost a third (27 percent) of those who own a house or mistakenly believe their insurance will pay for damage that occurs in their households over time, like normal wear, or they no idea how their insurance works when it comes to this type of damage to the roof.
"Our study really highlights the need to educate consumers about the importance of regular inspection and maintenance of roofs," said Joe Vahey, vice president and product manager at Erie Insurance . "Otherwise, they could face costly and unexpected repair costs which, according to our survey, many owners are not ready."
the owners also agreed to suffer the serious consequences of not maintaining their . houses, with a large part of the water-related damages when asked if their house was damaged due to lack of maintenance, responses included:
"Yes does not fix a leak dripping in the bathroom upstairs, eventually leak into the first floor "
"the walls of damp bathroom and falling apart because of the leaking roof"
"Dripping water in crawl space caused mold problem"
"water damage repair bad plumbing"
"flooding in the basement due to sump pump malfunction"
the survey also included questions on other maintenance tasks of the town house , if ignored, could end up costing a lot of money.
| Question | maintenance must be performed ... | interesting results | safety |
| How many times did you take care of your gutters and downspouts? | variable by region | Nearly one in four homeowners (24 percent) said they do care about their gutters and downspouts. | Water damage: Clogged gutters can cause water to flow over the sides of the house and pool around his foundation, which often leads to some major issues such as uneven floors, cracks in the walls and interior water damage. This type of application, also known as infiltration, is a maintenance problem and often not covered by your home insurance policy. Home Advisor says homeowners can expect to pay about $ 3,830 on average to repair foundation problems. |
| How often do you clean your clothes dryer exhaust duct? | every year | one in five (21 percent) admit they never clean their ducts dryer, unless they have a problem. | House Fires: laundry is part of weekly grind of life. But did you know that dryers cause about 15,500 home structure fires, 29 deaths, 400 injuries and $ 192 million in direct property loss each year? The most common cause of dryer fires is failure to do a deep cleaning. Because a lint filter is not a foolproof way to catch all the fuzzy stuff clothes, stuffed animals can gradually build up and ignite the pipe heating element or exhaust. |
| How many times your furnace is inspected and maintained by a professional? | every year | Thirty-six percent of homeowners have their furnaces inspected and serviced once a year. But according to the survey data, young women (aged 18-34) are the least likely to do so (9 percent) compared to their male counterparts who are three and a half times more likely to do so ( 36 percent). | House Fires: of 09-2013 the fire service of the United States responded to an estimated average of 56,000 fires structures per year in homes involved heating equipment. These fires resulted in annual losses of 470 civilian deaths, 1,40 civilian injuries, and $ 1.0 billion in direct property damage. |
| How many times have you clean (sweep) your fireplace chimney? | every year | Nearly half (46 percent) of those who own a home with a fireplace never their chimney cleaned (swept ), unless they have a problem | House fires and carbon monoxide :. unclean chimneys are a leading cause of structure fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which recommends an annual inspection of the chimney. NFPA research shows the main factor contributing to heating fires in the home (30 percent) was the failure to clean, mostly solid fuel heating appliances, primarily chimneys. From 09-2013, chimneys resulted in $ 25 million in direct property damage each year. Improper cleaning can also lead to other serious problems, including the potential for carbon monoxide, smoke and soot eventually to enter the living areas of your home. |
| How often do you clean your sump pump and pit? | every year | 44 percent of those with a sump pump admit never clean or pit unless they have a problem | water damage :. sump pumps are used to remove excess water homes that would otherwise cause damage. One survey respondent has experienced flooding in his basement due to a malfunction of the sump pump, specifically. Water damage due to sewage and drainage backups typically require additional insurance coverage beyond a standard policy. Without this coverage, it could end up costing you on average $ 2,156, according to Home Advisor. |
Lessons learned?
Some owners said the survey makes them think of ways to improve their maintenance practices from home. When asked to complete the sentence : "The only thing on my house I know I should do a better job of keeping, but is not ..." Examples of responses included: " Many apparently " and " Everything survey just mentioned ."
* US adults who own a home and are a first decision maker / joint home care, referred to in this story as "owners"
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the US by Harris Poll on behalf of Erie Insurance from March 11-15, 2016, among 2,023 adults aged 18 and over among whom 1,077 own a home and are the main / joint decision maker and 1,151 years own a home. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For the methodology of the full investigation, including weighting variables, please contact Leah Knapp in leah.knapp@erieinsurance.com.
about The Harris Poll
over the past five decades, Harris polls have become media staples. With comprehensive and accurate technical experience in public opinion polls, and proven experience to discover the motivations and behaviors of consumers, The Harris Poll has gained strong brand recognition worldwide. The Harris poll offers a diversified portfolio of customer proprietary solutions to transform relevant ideas in the provident action to a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer packaged goods. Contact us for more information.
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