Leeds is one of the most house-proud cities in the UK, study finds

Researchers explored the nation’s love for their homes, examining a host of factors such as money spent on their dwellings and time invested in DIY.

Based on the responses of 2,000 homeowners, 15 cities were awarded points which were then tallied up - with Leeds ranking in fourth place.

London emerged as the UK's most house-proud city, followed by Birmingham and Newcastle.

In the past year, people in the capital have spent more on their homes than any other city – £3,778.03 on average – and called on more tradespeople.

They also watched TV programmes about décor and property for an average of an hour and 48 minutes per week, longer than anyone else.

The research was commissioned by Checkatrade for its Home Pride Index report which found 54 per cent love their home more now than ever before.

Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe, environmental psychologist at the University of Surrey, who worked with Checkatrade on the report, said: “Personalisation through decoration, renovation, and upkeep can increase our sense of being attached - meaningfully connected - to the home.

“Feeling attached or connected to important places in our lives, such as the home, is important for psychological wellbeing and is positively related to mental health.

“Being attached to a place goes hand-in-hand with having positive memories and feeling happy and relaxed, belonging to a community, feeling secure and comfortable, and having opportunities for personal freedom and growth.’’

The Checkatrade study, carried out through OnePoll, found 58 per cent consider the living room to be the heart of the home, so much so that 32 per cent said making it ‘perfect’ is their main priority.

The living room (26 per cent) is also the area of the home people are most proud of, with the kitchen (16 per cent) in second spot.

The past 12 months has also seen adults adapting their homes in less traditional ways, as seven per cent had a ‘shoffice’ built - an office in a shed – while six per cent created their own mini cinemas.

But 79 per cent think there’s room for improvement in their homes.

Three in 10 are looking to redecorate several rooms, 23 per cent think their garden needs a revamp and 22 per cent hope to replace flooring.

In fact, 47 per cent are more eager now than ever before to carry out DIY or get work done on their homes.

Mike Fairman, CEO of Checkatrade, said: “We can see the effect that 2020 has had in some of the searches for our trade members.

“For instance, searches for painters are up 37 per cent in comparison to last year, suggesting that spending more time at home than expected resulted in a redecoration boom with homeowners wanting additional support in creating a boost of colour to their homes.

“We expect a lot of these staple services – such as plumbing, building and electrics – to also grow in popularity throughout 2021 as homeowners continue to see the value in investing in their homes.”

The Top 15 most house proud cities in the UK

1. London – 121 points

2. Newcastle – 114 points

3. Birmingham – 113.5 points

4. Leeds – 95 points

5. Southampton - 88 points

6. York – 84 points

7. Bristol – 81 points

8. Plymouth – 80 points

9. Manchester – 72 points

10. Glasgow – 66 points

11. Liverpool – 63.5 points

12. Sheffield – 63 points

13. Edinburgh – 62 points

14. Leicester – 49 points

15. Norwich – 48 points