"The Rise In Neighbour Disputes May Lead To An Increase In Property Movement" Says Ratedpeople. com
With a new study from Halifax Home Insurance showing an increase in neighbour disputes, homeowners need to get their 'house' in order before it leads to a costly and unnecessary move according to Ratedpeople. com, the UK's largest matchmaking service for home improvers and recommended tradesmen.
London, UK (PRWEB) February 18, 2010
With a new study from Halifax Home Insurance showing an increase in neighbour disputes, homeowners need to get their 'house' in order before it leads to a costly and unnecessary move according to Ratedpeople. com, the UK's largest matchmaking service for home improvers and recommended tradesmen.
According to the report from the Halifax, over the last twelve months, 17% of home owners have experienced serious difficulties with their neighbours. The most common problem is excessive noise (49%), followed by rude or intimidating behaviour (23%); however a staggering 20% of disputes are down to illegal building or structural work impinging on legal boundaries.
With the rise in popularity of TV make-over shows and an increase in owner occupation, DIY has become a regular weekend habit for millions. Changes to the Town & Country Planning Order 2008 may have also added to the problem by removing the need for local planning authorities to determine routine house extensions; offering greater freedom to build single storey extensions without planning permission. This is great news for those wishing to extend and improve their property; however, this may also have led to increased numbers of disputes by removing the need for consultation with neighbours.
Andrew Skipwith, CEO and Founder of Ratedpeople. com said: "Cutting corners and having a go yourself may be acceptable within your own four walls but once you step outside your property, anything you do could have an impact on your neighbour. Therefore it's imperative that home improvements such as garage conversions and property renovations are carried out by a recommended tradesperson to the highest standard, meets health and safety and building regulations and most of all does not upset your neighbour."
By choosing to recruit the help of a professional using Ratedpeople. com, instead of taking on a potential DIY disaster, home owners are more likely to avoid unnecessary and costly neighbour disputes arising as a result of incorrect external building or structural work.
Andrew added: "I would strongly advise home owners to follow all rules and regulations when carrying out home improvement projects. For total peace of mind I would advise that home owners use a professional tradesman, who they know comes with a recommendation, this way home owners can receive the very best, up to the minute expert advice for all home improvements."
Ratedpeople. com helps home improvers find recommended tradesmen quickly and easily. You can choose from 24 different trades and find tradesmen such as local builders (http://www. ratedpeople. com/find/builders), garden designers (http://www. ratedpeople. com/find/gardeners-garden-designers) or window specialists (http://www. ratedpeople. com/find/window-conservatory-specialists).
Every month, Ratedpeople. com manages over £30m in home improvement projects with more than 1,000 tradesmen signing up, making it the UK's largest match making service for home improvers and recommended tradesmen. There are more than 55,000 ratings on Ratedpeople. com to date and its system ensures that tradesmen are only rated by previous customers who find them through the site. This results in one of the fairest and most robust rating systems on the web.
For further information on how to source a recommended tradesman in your area, visit Ratedpeople. com.
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