A recent study has found that people living in London are some of the least confident when it comes to DIY, as over a quarter (27%) admitted to hiring tradespeople to help complete simple home improvement tasks despite a staggering 71% desperate to cut down their household costs.

The survey, by power tool specialist Black + Decker, polled Brits on their decorating habits to reveal who are the handiest when it comes to DIY and who might be in need of a little support, finding that a third (33%) of those who responded in the capital labelled themselves as novices.

Of those relying on hired help for basic DIY tasks, 14% said they’re too scared of doing something wrong and one in 10 said they can’t be bothered to learn how to do something new.

Further data highlighted that 21% of people in London only completed one small DIY task in the last 12 months and a further 17% admitted they only did it after feeling pressure from someone else to save money.

When it came down to the home jobs Londoners are the worst at, fixing a leaky tapcame in tops with 42% opting to hire a professional to do it for them and unblocking a drain followed closely behind, with a quarter leaving the plunger put.

Other jobs people don’t feel confident doing alone include putting up a shelf, where 15 would use a tradesperson instead, assembling flatpack furniture (13%), changing a lightbulb and hanging a mirror (11%)

In terms of tools, 85% don’t feel comfortable using staple DIY equipment with a handsaw proving to be the one that 27% people in London would never try handling at home alone. An additional 17% couldn’t use jigsaw and 14% couldn’t operate a drill or sander.

To help the people of London take home improvements into their own hands, Nick Ee, product training manager at Black + Decker advises on curating a beginners tool kit:

“There’s such an array of tools out there which can seem overwhelming for those just getting started with DIY when working out what they actually need to get a job done. At Black + Decker we like to keep things simple and make it easy for anyone having a go at handy work in the home. For a refined yet effective toolkit for beginners, I’d say a cordless hammer drill a screwdriver and oscillating multi-tool are three essentials to invest in that will help to complete a large part of common household DIY jobs .”

Tim Winstanley, senior brand manager at Black + Decker also commented on the findings:

“Our Home Truths study has found, that as a nation, we’re often struggling when it comes to the simplest of DIY jobs. After a decorating boom in lockdown, it seems as though Brits may be shying away more when it comes to re-vamping their homes.

“In London, it appears to be a lack of motivation and confidence acting as the main barrier for home improvement projects being completed and we want to encourage anyone sitting on the fence about tackling their next job solo to take the plunge!

“If the thought of saving money isn’t enough to spur you on in the ongoing cost-of-living-crisis, completing a DIY task can result in a huge feeling of self-accomplishment and the more you do, the better you’ll get. Lean on more experienced family members or friends who can guide you through your next project and utilise instructional videos and blogs online for inspiration and tips.”