Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Delaying Property Repairs 'Could Be Costly'

Delaying Property Repairs 'Could Be Costly'
The impact of last week's earthquake could affect more than
homeowners' properties, it has been suggested.

Following the tremor which affected many parts of England
and Wales, consumers may find that the natural occurrence
will see them having to dig deep into their pockets to meet
the cost of repairing their home, the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors (Rics) asserts. However, pointing to
insurance companies' forecasts that such expenses could run
into millions of pounds, people were urged against paying
more than is necessary to finance getting their home back
in shape.

Rics suggested that replacing a clay or concrete roof
covering will set homeowners back between 280 pounds and
290 pounds per tile. Furthermore, it was stated that
rebuilding a broken chimney stack could see consumers come
under more financial pressure. Reconstructing a damaged
chimney stack carries an expense ranging from 2,170 pounds
up to about 4,340 pounds, depending on the number of high
pots it contains.

For people looking for an effective way to pay for
repairing their property, taking out a cheap home loan
might prove to be of assistance.

It was also suggested that, following the earthquake, many
consumers could discover that the doors and windows of
their home have become tighter than normal. This was
attributed to damage sustained to their frames, with the
cost of having windows and doors repaired standing at 110
pounds and 68 pounds respectively. However, if homeowners
do not take steps to get such features repaired as soon as
possible then they may find that glass will crack.

People were also warned against leaving small cracks in
walls and ceilings unattended. By letting it develop, Rics
claimed that such a fracture may see damp appear and cause
wooden floors and walls to rot. To replace external
brickwork that has suffered a 1 m-long crack, it was
suggested that consumers may be set back by up to 190
pounds. However, if such work is required at a high level,
homeowners may face expenses of between 155 pounds and 230
pounds. Blocked and broken drainpipes were also cited as
potential damage that an earthquake could cause, inflicting
harm that would take up to 275 pounds to fix.

Ian Potts, spokesperson for Rics, said: "If properties are
left unchecked and damages are not routed out and repaired
straight away, it could cause more extensive damage to the
property and to the wallets." He went on to report that
before taking any steps to repair damage to their home,
consumers should first call out a chartered building
surveyor. It was claimed that such an official will be able
to do a "full property evaluation in order to ascertain the
full extent of the damage to the property". From this, a
surveyor may be able to judge how much a home has been
impaired and what construction work needs doing.

Consumers looking for an effective way to fund property
repairs may wish to consider applying for a home
improvement loan. This type of homeowner loan may not only
help consumers to pay for materials but also to hire
professionals to assess what work needs doing and others to
carry out this out. In addition, such a loan could be of
assistance to consumers wishing to revamp their property.
Earlier this year, research carried out by Yorkshire Bank
indicated that a significant number of people are looking
to increase privacy within their homes and gardens.

One way to finance the implementation of this, which could
include fitting semi-opaque windows or a security system,
is to take out a homeowner loan.


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Abbi Rouse writes for All About Loans. Our visitors can
apply online for poor credit secured loans. We also
specialise in cheap loans, and the cheapest consolidation
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