Why cutting corners on home maintenance is a false economy

If an appliance needs servicing or replacing, or you need an emergency home repair, it can be tempting to reach for the cheaper option. But that can be more costly in the long run.

More than 18m people have tried to save money by turning to unregulated goods and unqualified tradespeople, according to Gas Safety Register.

For example, 15% admit to hiring cheaper tradespeople for home repairs even when they weren’t sure they were qualified.

And more than a third (36%) said they’re more likely to accept risks than they would have been a few years ago.

Cutting corners is risky and expensive

The cheaper option might save you money in the short-term.

But ultimately, it can be more expensive - in several ways.

If you cut corners in areas like gas safety, you’re putting the health of your entire household at risk.

And if you go for cheap options and unqualified tradespeople, you could find yourself having to pay for more expensive repairs later on.

In fact, more than half (51 per cent) of those polled said their efforts to save money by choosing cheaper goods or services had backfired, and left them having to replace products or pay to get work redone.

“It shows just how normalised risk taking has become when household budgets are under pressure,” said Ronan Howard of Gas Safe Register.

Always use qualified tradespeople

The prospect of saving a bit of money can be tempting.

But cutting corners makes it more likely that the work will be poor quality, and that you’ll be forking out for the job to be done properly anyway.

And you don’t want to take safety risks and expose your families to dangers like carbon monoxide.

So always turn to qualified professionals before getting any work done.

You can find expert tradespeople on platforms like:

• Checkatrade
• TrustaTrader

And if you’re getting work done on gas appliances, you can find registered engineers and check their credentials at Gas Safe Register. 

Create a rainy-day fund

The findings are another reminder why it’s so important to have a rainy-day fund - a pot of money set aside for emergencies.

You’ll then be in a better position to cover unexpected costs without having to borrow or dip into savings.

After all, unexpected costs like a broken boiler or emergency home repairs rarely come cheap.

Ideally, you should have enough saved to cover around three months of your living costs - things like rent, bills, food and transport. 

But even putting away a small amount into your rainy-day fund regularly could make a big difference if or when you ever need it.