Two in five (40%) homeowners in Greater London have faced problems after trying their hand at DIY, making them the most likely to have experienced a DIY disaster, according to new research from RISA*

In a bid to resolve the DIY disasters, homeowners across the country have spent over £6 billion, with the average cost of resolving the problems being £4,861**. What’s more, the new research from independent inspection body, RISA, reveals that one in 10 have spent over £10,000 on fixing the issues.

Millennials are the most likely to have faced a DIY disaster, with two in five (42%) admitting they’ve had home improvements go wrong because they tried making upgrades to their property themselves.

Millennials have also been spending the most on fixing their DIY mishaps, with the average resolution costing £5,896.

“In 2022, UK homeowners are set to spend over £40 billion on home improvements which is a huge amount of money! Some home improvements are fine to try your hand at, such as giving the walls a fresh lick of paint or putting up a shelf, but when doing bigger home improvements, like tiling the bathroom or replacing a window frame, homeowners should always look to use a qualified tradesperson. This means that if anything goes wrong, they may be covered by the consumer protection law, Section 75,” comments Lee Galley, RISA Assessor Manager.

Section 75, which is part of the Consumer Credit Act, enables UK consumers to make a claim against their credit card provider to get a refund for a purchase, either a product or service, which didn’t meet requirements – as long as they paid on their credit card

For those homeowners who have faced a home improvement disaster which wasn’t their fault, such as when a product arrived damaged or a construction company went bust half way through making changes to their home, a claim can often be made via Section 75.

In a bid to help homeowners claim against Section 75 where possible, RISA, which helps UK homeowners with their claims through inspecting window and door replacements, has created a template claim letter which UK consumers can populate and send to their credit providers to make a claim.

“We know that making home improvements can often be stressful, especially when they go wrong! However, Section 75 is a safety net for consumers that offers them support when faced with unexpected costs because of a business’s mistake,” concludes Lee.