Emergency Home Repairs: The Three Questions You Should Ask as a Homeowner

Homeownership can be overwhelming, stressful and intimidating, especially when things around the house break down. Unfortunately, emergency home repairs are a simple fact we deal with as homeowners. Plus, they always seem to strike at the worst time, causing even more anxiety.?

?In my time at HomeServe, I’ve talked with countless homeowners. After all, they’re the reason we do what we do. And as a homeowner myself, we are faced with the same three worries when a repair emergency strikes.?

1. “I don’t have time for this. How long is this going to take to fix?”?
2. “Who am I going to get to fix this for me?”?
3. “How much is it going to cost?”?

If you’re a homeowner, you’re probably very familiar with these worries too.??

Our data shows that most homeowners have experienced exactly this. Seventy percent of the homeowners surveyed in this year’s HomeServe’s State of the Home (SOH) survey report having an emergency home repair in the last 12 months. This often leaves them with the frustrating challenge of finding a reliable contractor to fix the problem.??

On top of the stress of the emergency home repair, homeowners are often left feeling ripped off because they’re stuck paying higher costs for their repair work.??

Unfortunately, there are people who will take advantage of a homeowner’s vulnerable moment and lure them into a scam, hike the price of a part or repair, or convince them to buy something they just don’t need. Our SOH data shows that 31% of homeowners have $500 or less set aside for a home repair emergency, making almost one-third of homeowners especially vulnerable to bad actors when dollars are already tight.??

An additional recent survey of Canadian homeowners found that repair jobs often end up costing more than initially quoted by contractors – and sometimes a contractor fails to show up altogether. This lack of reliability leaves homeowners even more overwhelmed and stressed, and most importantly – their emergency repair still in need of fixing.??

The Federal Trade Commission has guidance to help homeowners more easily detect whether they’re being taken advantage of. Feeling pressured to make an immediate decision, to pay for everything up front, a refusal to provide information on the contractor’s license or insurance or being told that a contractor will only accept cash are giant red flags and a homeowner should walk away from that contractor. Unless you’re dealing with an emergency, always give yourself time to consider the decision and get more than one bid. Your home is one of your biggest investments, so take the time to explore your options. If you need more suggestions to help avoid being scammed, check out these tips from my HomeServe colleague Sylvester Criscone .??

Let’s come back to that urgent home repair scenario that we’ve all been in. What if you didn’t have to worry about finding a reputable contractor when something broke unexpectedly around the house, and all the work to find a trustworthy and dependable contractor was already done for you???

That’s exactly what homeowners benefit from using a subscription-based repair service plan such as the ones our company offers. We understand the importance of protecting homeowners from these situations. Through our network of vetted professionals, we find the right contractor for you, ensuring a repair is addressed quickly and expertly.??

Even better, homeowners pay NOTHING out of pocket for covered repairs. That’s means no call-out fees, no deductibles, nothing. We pay the contractor directly, so you don’t need to pay out-of-pocket, then wait to be reimbursed. We know that figuring out how to pay a contractor is one of the most worrisome parts of home repair and we’re committed to making the experience as stress-free as possible for our customers.?

This is one of the most satisfying things about working at HomeServe…I get to help take a little bit of the hassle out of a stressful situation for the homeowners who have put their trust in us.??