Insurer: young people “lack DIY skills”


Around half of young people lack the necessary skills to maintain a home, according to a survey by an insurance company.

Instead many under-35s said, when surveyed by Halifax Home Insurance, that they relied on their parents to help them with basic DIY tasks.

The company found that around half the people in that age group admitted they could not rewire a plug, put up shelves or bleed a radiator. Only a third would attempt to put up wallpaper while 36 per said they would not even attempt to do gardening themselves.

Potentially bad news for DIY retailers was, however, good news for tradespeople with 42 per cent prepared to pay a professional to do the work. Which is possibly also good news for the insurance company behind the survey…

Also, we’re all in favour of celebrating the 50 per cent of people in this age group who do tackle jobs themselves, often with a can-do ethos that’s partially inspired by a desire to live more sustainably.

So, if you’re among them, you should definitely allow yourself a quiet smile of satisfaction today.