NHIC launches second COVID19 impact survey

Following its successful COVID19 impact survey, the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) has launched its second nationwide industry survey to better understand the impact the COVID19 pandemic is having on householders.

The COVID19 impact survey, launched on 9th April 2020 saw 85 per cent respondents comment that they were seeing an increase in consumer detriment as a result of the pandemic, and that 50 per cent believe opportunism by rogue traders neglecting Public Health England (PHE) safe working guidance and social distancing rules was a significant risk especially in vulnerable households.

Anna Scothern Chief Executive at the NHIC says,

“Current PHE and Government safe working guidance for construction makes no differentiation between occupied and unoccupied buildings or sites and states that work can continue, but that safe working guidance and social distancing rules must be followed.”

Continuing she says,

“This can be extremely challenging for professionals in the home improvement and RMI sector who primarily work in customer homes while householders are in residence and as a result many of our member companies have made the decision that work cannot continue safely and have closed their doors for the duration of the lockdown.  This leaves the door open if you like for rogue traders to target households with the promise of works completed; often for cash, with no warrantee or insurance backed guarantee and not delivered by a member of a competent person scheme and we believe this puts householders at significant risk of consumer detriment.” Summing up Scothern adds “This our second in a series of surveys will help understand the scale of the problem so we can work across our membership with government and partners to provide an evidence base with which to develop cross industry and consumer protection solutions.”

The NHIC is an ambassador for collaborative action working to improvement the home improvement and RMI sector. Representing 100,000 home improvement and RMI professionals while working across the sector, wider industry and consumer groups to raise all homes up to modern living standards while inspiring and supporting householders to renovate, refurbish and improve their homes with confidence.

The consumer detriment survey can be found at https://nhic.org.uk/home-improvement-covid-19-consumer-detriment-survey/ and will be live until 30th April 2020

The full COVID19 impact survey findings can be view at https://nhic.org.uk/covid19impactsurvey

For more information please contact the NHIC chief executive directly at annascothern(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)nhic.org.uk