20% of respondents to a poll by AA Home Membership said they like their home less now than when they moved in. The most likely reasons for falling out of love with their property is because they discovered a lot of problems with it after moving in (29%) while the same number dislikes their neighbours.
Others said they only lived in their property because it was affordable and had never liked it there (26%), while some said it was too small (25%), it required too much upkeep (21%) and others said their circumstances had changed and their property was no longer suitable (13%).
The results also showed some big differences between homeowners and tenants. Twenty-six per cent of tenants said they’d grown less fond of their home compared to 17% of homeowners.
Tenants were more likely to live in homes which had unexpected problems and not get along with their neighbours. Homeowners on the other hand, are more likely to struggle with the upkeep of a property and have changing circumstances (such as children leaving home) which makes their property less suitable.
The AA’s research also showed that more than seven out of ten (72%) respondents had to make some sort of compromise the last time they moved – perhaps explaining why some are less fond of their home.
Unsurprisingly, the cost of the property was the most commonly re-evaluated aspect (32%) and more than a quarter (27%) had to compromise on either the location or the size of the home they chose. One in five (19%) moved somewhere that needed more work doing to it than they had originally planned and 18% had fewer bedrooms than they wanted.
A quarter of those who made a compromise were unhappy about having to do so. Those aged 18-24 were the most fussy with nearly a third (31%) of them saying they made a compromise begrudgingly.
Helen Brooker, Head of AA Home Membership said: “It must be quite disheartening to find that your home is not all you hoped it would be. Some issues – such as property maintenance and anti-social neighbours – may only become apparent over time and may not have been a cause for concern when the householder chose the property. It’s pretty common for people to have to compromise when looking for somewhere to live – after all, not many people can afford their dream home. Even if you find your ideal property, the housing market is so competitive there’s no guarantee you’ll get it.
Others – particularly those who are looking for somewhere to live with a partner – may find that they have different tastes and opinions and may find it difficult to agree on what they want.”
