Study: Burnley homeowners get £2.7m-worth of free work every year

Research conducted by CORGI HomePlan has shone a light on all the weird and wacky things trade professionals have been asked to fix while on a job, with over 50% of Burnley residents not expecting to pay the hourly rate for little extras, with 10% preferring instead to pay in cups of tea and another 10% not paying all together.

Proving themselves a tad too handy, the amount of unpaid work carried out by tradesmen totals something in the estimated region of £2.7m in potential earnings each year, with 62% of Burnley homeowners claiming they ask due to the convenience of having a professional in the home and 23% saying they do it because they are rubbish at DIY themselves.

“Trade professionals are the nicest you can meet and we regularly hear about how our network of more than 5,000 fully-qualified gas safe engineers, plumbers, electricians, and drainage experts are always willing to go the extra mile for our customers," said Peter Southcott, Chief Executive of CORGI HomePlan.

While men are more likely to ask for an extra freebie, women are more likely to expect the work to be done for free, with 50% expecting it to be carried out for less than the usual fee. Mending a broken plug socket (28%), putting up shelves (21%), changing light-bulbs (9%), and even making tea for all house guests (8%), keeping an eye on the dog (6%), or putting the bins out (5%) were some of the wacky requests heard.

"We should all remember that the next time we say ‘while you’re here, can you take a look at…?’ Peter added. "A trade professional’s expertise and time are to be valued and not taken for granted in this way.”

For more information, head to http://corgi-homeplan-how-safe-is-your-home.org/free-trades-professionals-unpaid-work-every-day/