Homeowners are scrimping on maintaining their castles.
The Building Research Association of New Zealand has just finished its second survey on home maintenance.
Project manager and building adviser Sue Clark said the association had found that the cost of repairing the most serious house defects was, on average, $4000 a year.
"But owners of these houses are spending less than half that amount - around $1500 a year.
"At first glance this may not sound too horrendous but ... since New Zealand's 1.4 million houses are likely to need a similar average expense, this amounts to more than $5.5 billion just to bring the condition of all components up to a moderate level."
Almost 500 houses and owners were surveyed in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch.
The results were similar to those of the first survey, in 1994.
"What has become obvious is that owners rarely check hidden spaces," said Ms Clark.
"They don't look in the attic or under the floors."
Many would probably be horrified at what they found - unconnected waste piping discharging waste water under the house, leaking pipes causing rising damp and borer, rat nests, insulation not fitted properly, header tanks not secured, or faulty wiring.
These were not only potentially dangerous for the house but caused health risks as well.
Work carried out was often not essential maintenance.
"A lot of it is cosmetic - new kitchen, new bathroom - and the basic, integral shell of the house may well suffer," Ms Clark said.
Other times, the symptoms would be fixed rather than the cause. Installing a dehumidifier would get rid of internal moisture - but would not stop the leaking pipe causing it.
Ms Clark said people who had lived in a house for several years should look for symptoms of problems such as bubbling paint or timber movement.
- NZPA
www.myproperty.co.nz
Maintenance a low priority for homeowners
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