Neglecting home maintenance could leave millions of Brits without a valid insurance policy, experts warn
With the wet and windy season closing in, the insurance experts at Go.Compare Home Insurance are warning that home maintenance isn’t just essential for keeping you warm this winter, but letting it slip down the to-do list could void your insurance policy.
New research from the comparison site has revealed that almost a quarter (23%)* of Brits have never checked or repaired their roof, while over half (51%) haven’t cleared out their guttering in more than a year**
The findings also revealed that just over a fifth (22%) of people have never checked or repaired the seals on their doors and windows, and almost one in four have never insulated outdoor pipes or taps (24%) - jobs which could help protect against draughts, leaks and burst pipes.
When it comes to keeping the heating ticking over, a recent report from Go.Compare revealed that more than 5 million Brits don’t get their boiler serviced regularly enough.*** And almost half (48%) haven’t bled their radiators in over a year - meaning many households could be wasting energy, and money, on inefficient heating.**
The top 10 neglected home maintenance tasks
|
Tasks |
% of Brits who haven’t done this in over a year** |
|
|
1 |
Checking/repairing the roof |
60% |
|
2 |
Inspecting/repairing window and door seals |
58% |
|
3 |
Insulating outdoor pipes and taps |
58% |
|
4 |
Cleaning out guttering |
51% |
|
5 |
Bleeding your radiators |
48% |
|
6 |
Checking/repairing outbuildings |
47% |
|
7 |
Securing or putting away outdoor furniture and other items |
37% |
|
8 |
Getting the boiler serviced |
37% |
|
9 |
Testing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors |
35% |
|
10 |
Trimming back trees and shrubbery |
32% |
Nathan Blackler, expert at Go.Compare Home Insurance said, “It’s easy to put off home maintenance tasks, especially if storms and high winds haven’t hit you yet. But before the worst of the weather arrives, is exactly when you should be preparing your home for these colder months. Simple jobs like servicing your boiler, cleaning out your gutters and checking roof tiles can make a huge difference when it comes to avoiding leaks, retaining heat and avoiding costly repairs.”
When it comes to making sure your home insurance is valid, Nathan added, “It’s also worth remembering that insurers expect you to maintain your property - and failing to do so could impact your ability to make a successful claim. And while it’s tempting to try and DIY a lot of these tasks, if they aren’t done to a high standard, an insurer still might not pay out. So while bleeding your radiators and checking your smoke alarms are things you can easily do, it’s best to leave things like roof repairs to the experts.”
To help you keep track of the tasks you should be completing each season, Go.Compare have put together a home maintenance checklist which you can find here.
Contact Information
Rubie Barker
Notes to editors
*Research conducted by Censuswide with 2,002 nationally representative UK adults between 22–24 September 2025. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.
**’1-2 years ago’, ‘3+ years ago’, and ‘This has never been done’ responses combined.
***According to the 2021 ONS Census, 8.1 million people owned the accommodation they lived in outright, and 7.4 million owned their accommodation with a mortgage, loan or shared ownership, totalling 15.5 million. 36.51% respondents said that they had not had their boiler serviced in the last year (’1-2 years ago’, ‘3+ years ago’, and ‘This has never been done’ responses combined). 15.5 million * 36.51% = 5.65 million
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About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.