February 2006

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Knock, Knock...Nobody's home - British homes regularly left empty

KNOCK KNOCK… NOBODY’S HOME – BRITISH HOMES REGULARLY LEFT EMPTY

- 9.3 million Brits (33%) work longer than average hours
- 4 million workers (14%) spend between 90 minutes and four hours commuting each day
- Almost a quarter (23%) go out 2 or 3 nights after work
- More than two thirds don’t have time to cook an evening meal every night

An Englishman’s home is no longer his castle, but instead more of a hotel, according to research from leading home insurer MORE TH>N. Long working hours and lengthy commutes are now standard, and when combined with evenings and weekends spent out and about, it means many homes are left unoccupied much of the time, used as little more than a place to sleep.

Despite the fact that the eight-hour working day is now just a pipe-dream for more than a third of workers in the UK, almost a quarter – 6.5 million – still go out 2 or 3 evenings during the week, whether for fun or for evening classes. And the weekend is no longer a time for lazing around the house as over a third (35%) of working Brits say they spend less than half of their daytime at the weekends at home, and four in ten go out for at least one weekend night.

So what is the home used for when people do make an appearance? Not for slaving over a hot stove, it seems. The research also showed that people are erring on the side of convenience when it comes to evening meals. One fifth (20%) of people admit to often ordering food in or eating take-aways, and more than two thirds (68%) don’t get home in time to cook a regular evening meal every night. Nearly one in ten people (9%) say they rarely do a weekly food shop.

As well as not getting round to cooking, this detachment from the home is highlighted further by more than one-third (39%) of people who said they still haven’t got round to fully furnishing or decorating their home. More than a quarter (26%) of people say they don’t have pets because they’re not home enough to look after them properly, and 1.4 million (5%) have so little time at home that they employ someone else to do either their housework or laundry.

David Pitt, Head of Insurance at MORE TH>N, comments, “The modern work environment is putting more pressure on people, meaning we have less time to do important things like seeing friends and family as well as cooking, housekeeping and shopping for groceries. So despite our national obsession with owning property, our homes are becoming more and more like hotels – simply places to sleep and store clothes.”

Although the incidence of domestic burglaries has fallen in recent years, the British Crime Survey reveals that an estimated three in every 100 houses falls victim every year. Low occupancy levels are highlighted as a key contributing factor in the vulnerability of homes to burglary. As a minimum, any external doors should be fitted with a 5-point lock, and all windows should have locks that meet British standards. It is also worth considering a monitored alarm system.

People also need to be aware of other risks in leaving their home unoccupied, including fire. In the year to 31st March 2005, there were 58,000 domestic fires in the UK*. Heaters, ovens, candles and appliances left running, especially heat-generating items like hair straighteners, can easily cause a fire and in only a few minutes a home can be engulfed in flames.

As well as exercising reasonable caution with safety and security in your home, good home insurance cover is essential. Make sure your contents are insured for a generous limit – your belongings are often worth more than you think. Also make sure you’re covered for personal liability in case you cause damage to someone else’s property. If you own your home, it’s important that you have home insurance to protect from fire, flood and subsidence, as well as accidental damage to drains, pipes, cables and underground tanks.

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