British homeowners are not doing maintenance and repair work because they cannot find builders and other tradesmen that they trust, according to the 2014 Homeowner Survey.

The survey shows that finding a trusted builder is such a major problem across regions of the UK that it means our housing stock could be ending up in a state of disrepair.

Over half of the homeowners (58%) questioned in the survey said they have difficulty finding a trusted builder to assist with home repairs or improvements. This is impacting on the work that homeowners decide to do, and how they do it. Among the homeowners who have difficulty finding trusted builders, 12% don’t do the work at all, while a quarter (26%) delay the project. Alternatively, affected homeowners choose to do their own repairs/DIY (40%), do essential works only (27%), or use tradesmen they are uncertain about (28%).

The survey, conducted by YouGov, showed that 24% of female homeowners said they find it "very difficult" to find a tradesman they trust, compared with 17% of male homeowners.

The London region is where it is most difficult to find a trusted tradesman (67%), compared with the national average of 58%. 

Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance

Liz Male, Chairman of TrustMark