New 2025 State of the Home Survey Highlights Widespread Financial Strains, Common Repair Challenges, and Critical Infrastructure Knowledge Gaps Among U.S. Homeowners
NORWALK, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HomeServe, a leading provider of home repair solutions, released the findings of its expanded 2025 State of the Home Survey. The survey revealed a significant gap between Americans’ financial preparedness for home repair emergencies and the reality that the vast majority do experience an unexpected home repair, often compounded by an insufficient understanding of their home’s critical infrastructure.
The survey, which polled 2,524 Americans, of which 2,333 were homeowners, paints a picture of a population grappling with the financial and logistical burdens of homeownership, particularly when unforeseen issues arise.
Widespread Financial Insecurity
The survey reveals a significant lack of financial preparedness among homeowners, leaving many vulnerable to the high costs of unexpected home repairs. Further, many report already struggling with everyday utility expenses.
- Approximately 25% of homeowners have $500 or less set aside for emergency repairs – with nearly half (46%) of those stating that they have no money set aside. This leaves a substantial portion – one out of four – of households ill-equipped to handle unexpected costs.
- When repairs do occur, less than half of respondents had the full amount available, and a concerning 14% had to borrow money or use credit.
- The financial strain is evident in repair delays. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of homeowners have delayed a repair due to cost, with 24% delaying for six months or more.
- Utility costs are also a significant concern, with 38% of respondents struggling to pay at least one utility bill in the past 12 months. Electricity (30%), water (20%), and natural gas (18%) were the most cited challenges. 13% report they are spending more than 20% of their income, indicating a substantial burden for a notable portion of the population.
Common Repair Challenges
Results show that homeowners face significant anxieties about the inevitability that a home repair emergency will happen at some point and often struggle to find reliable help when unexpected issues do arise.
- The reality is home repair emergencies are common. Almost 81% reported having a home repair emergency in the past year. The most frequent issues included heating/AC repair (30%), appliance failures (29%) and blocked/overflowing toilets (26%).
- The greatest home repair fears revolve around failure of a home’s essential systems. Plumbing/water pipe breaks (49%) are the top concern, followed closely by structural damage (40%), roof damage (35%), and sewer line breaks (34%).
- Finding reliable help for repairs remains a hurdle. Less than one-third (31%) found it “very easy” to find a qualified professional, while 13% reported it was “somewhat” or “very difficult.” When repairs are delayed, the biggest impacts cited were disruption to daily life (47%), significant financial cost (37%), and stress/anxiety about finding a reliable contractor (33%).
Pressing Need for Greater Education and Resources Concerning Home Maintenance and Infrastructure Resilience
The survey highlights critical knowledge gaps among Americans regarding their home’s infrastructure.
- A significant 43% of respondents do not know if their water service line is made of lead, highlighting a critical knowledge gap regarding home infrastructure. Furthermore, there is no clear consensus on who should be responsible for replacing lead service lines, with responses split among water utilities (27%), homeowners insurance (21%), and various levels of government.
- Three quarters (77%) experienced at least one power outage lasting more than five minutes in the past year, with 11% experiencing six or more. This contributes to significant anxiety, as 63% are concerned or very concerned about electricity reliability during extreme weather events. Grid reliability might also be the motivating factor to why a similar percentage – 63% – have considered or installed energy resilience upgrades such as home battery storage, backup generators, or solar with battery.
This survey was conducted on August 4, 2025, by HomeServe, using SurveyMonkey Audience. HomeServe’s survey received 2,524 responses from adults in the U.S. age 18 and older, of which 2,333 were homeowners. The sample of respondents was balanced by gender and region. For more on the SurveyMonkey Audience panel, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/market-research/data-quality/.
About HomeServe USA
HomeServe USA Corp. (HomeServe), a leading residential infrastructure home repair solutions company with more than 4.5 million customers across North America, offers protection plans that help protect homeowners against the expense and inconvenience of plumbing, electrical, HVAC and other home repair emergencies. HomeServe empowers over 1,350 leading municipal and utility partners to educate and advocate for their customers who are faced with home repair emergencies.
HomeServe has an exceptional customer satisfaction rating, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and is endorsed by the National League of Cities.
For more information about HomeServe and to get the latest home repair advice and customer stories, please go to www.homeserve.com. Connect with HomeServe on Facebook and Twitter @HomeServeUSA, Instagram @HomeServe_USA and on LinkedIn @HomeServe-USA. For company news, follow on X @HomeServeUSNews.
Contacts
HOMESERVE MEDIA CONTACTS:
Myles Meehan
HomeServe
Phone: 203-356-4546
Email: [email protected]
Kristin Elder
Burson for HomeServe
Phone: 703-835-6245
Email: [email protected]
