Household expenditure on maintenance and repair

Over the five years through 2025-26, household expenditure on maintenance and repair is expected to fall at a compound annual rate of -1.0% to reach £18.8 billion. Household expenditure on maintenance and repair is determined by various different factors, such as household income, consumer confidence, interest rates, inflation and consumer trends.

The long-term trend in household expenditure has been an upward one, but this has been increasingly driven by the purchase of maintenance services. Many of the largest homewares retailers have been lamenting the decline of the DIY and the rise of the do-it-for-me generation. Expenditure on goods and materials for repairs and maintenance has generally declined at the expense of professional services.

In the two years through 2021-22, household expenditure on maintenance and repair was driven upwards as a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. With little opportunity for consumers to spend money elsewhere and the sudden rise the amount of time people have spent at home, whether the result of lockdowns or remote working, households increased investment in their housing. However, rampant inflation and the cost-of-living crisis caused a drop in spending on households in 2022-23. High interest rates in 2023-24, will have priced out many people from moving house as mortgage rates peaked in summer 2023, leading some people to spend their money on house maintenance and repair instead, leading to a slight increase in household spending in 2023-24.

Households are spending more on repairs in the two years through 2025–26, driven by persistently high inflation (though milder than the 2022 peak) and elevated material costs. Many older properties require overdue maintenance, while sustainable improvements—such as solar panels and enhanced insulation—are becoming increasingly common. As utility bills and mandatory charges continue to rise, consumers see investing in home protection and upgrades as a smart financial strategy. Preventative repairs and eco-friendly improvements are considered prudent responses to tighter budgets and increasing living costs.