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Home
- HomesAndHedge: identify and fix UK home and garden problems
HomesAndHedge helps you identify a home or garden problem, judge how serious it is, fix it where you safely can, and find who to call when you cannot.
Identify and compare
- Identify and Compare: UK Home and Garden Lookalikes
Tell common UK home and garden problems apart: knotweed lookalikes, damp types, what is biting you and whether holes in wood are active woodworm.
Cost guides
- UK Home and Garden Cost Guides: Indicative Prices
Indicative UK costs for pest control, damp proofing, Japanese knotweed removal, drain unblocking, roof moss removal and tree surgery. Get a written quote.
Calculators and tools
- Damp Treatment Cost Calculator UK (Indicative)
Estimate what damp treatment should cost from published UK trade ranges: damp type, rooms affected and replastering. Instant result, no form, no quote.
- Do You Legally Need a Professional or a Licence? UK Home Jobs
Free legal gate for UK home and garden jobs: bats, nesting birds, knotweed waste, protected trees, rodenticides. Find out when DIY is lawful and when you need consent.
- Drain Unblocking Cost Estimator UK (Indicative)
Estimate UK drain unblocking cost from published trade ranges by blockage location and method, and check when it is the water company s job, not yours. No form, no quote.
- Free UK Home Problem Calculators and Tools
Free interactive calculators for UK home and garden problems. Instant results from published trade ranges, no forms, no email gates, sources shown.
- Is This Even Japanese Knotweed? Free ID Checker UK
A free feature-by-feature checklist that tells you whether your plant is likely Japanese knotweed or a common lookalike, and the safe next step. Not a definitive ID.
- Japanese Knotweed Removal Cost Estimator UK (Indicative)
Estimate UK Japanese knotweed removal cost from published trade ranges: treatment method and stand size. Instant result, no form, no quote, sources shown.
- Pest Control Cost Estimator UK (Indicative)
Estimate what UK pest control should cost from published trade ranges: pest type, property size and how widespread it is. Instant result, no form, no quote.
- Quote Sense-Check UK: Is Your Home Repair Quote Fair?
Paste a quote total and job type to see where it sits against published UK trade benchmark ranges, plus the questions to ask before you pay. Free, no form, no quote.
- Rising Damp Checker UK: Do You Actually Have It?
Free symptom checklist that tells you whether your damp is likely rising damp, condensation or penetrating damp, and what to do, before you pay for a damp proof course.
- Roof Moss Removal Cost Estimator UK (Indicative)
Estimate UK roof and gutter moss removal cost from published trade ranges by roof type, storeys and access. Instant result, no form, no quote, sources shown.
- Should You Even Treat This? Free DIY-or-Leave-It Triage
A free triage that scores risk, severity, height and legal exposure for a home or garden problem and tells you honestly whether to monitor it, do it yourself, or call a pro.
- Tree Surgery Cost Estimator UK (Indicative)
Estimate UK tree surgery cost from published trade ranges by work type, tree height and access, with a TPO and conservation-area check first. No form, no quote.
DIY or professional
- DIY or Professional? When to Call Someone In
Decide whether to tackle a home or garden job yourself or call a professional, for pest control, damp and tree work, by risk, severity and the law.
In-depth guides
- Damp and Mould: The Health Risks Explained
What the NHS and gov.uk say about the health effects of damp and mould, who is most at risk, the warning signs, and how to deal with it safely.
- Dealing With Rats in the Loft Lawfully: UK Guide
A safe, lawful way to deal with rats in the loft: proofing first, the rules on rodenticides and welfare, and when to call a professional pest controller.
- How to Identify Japanese Knotweed: A UK Guide
Identify Japanese knotweed by season: red-purple spring shoots, bamboo-like canes, zig-zag shield-shaped leaves, creamy late-summer flowers. Plus the lookalikes.
- Rising Damp vs Condensation: Tell Them Apart
How to tell rising damp, condensation and penetrating damp apart before you pay for treatment. The tell-tale signs, why diagnosis matters, and who to ask.
- UK Home and Garden Glossary
Every home and garden term explained in plain English: rising damp, condensation, dew point, Japanese knotweed, rhizome, DPC, soakaway, PIV and more, cited to named UK sources.
- UK Home and Garden Guides: In-Depth Explainers
In-depth UK home and garden guides: identify Japanese knotweed, tell damp types apart, deal with loft rats lawfully, and damp and mould health risks.
Statistics
- How Many UK Homes Are at Flood Risk? (2024 Data)
Around 6.3 million properties in England are in areas at risk of flooding, 4.6 million from surface water alone. Environment Agency figures, sourced.
- Statistics
Key statistics on UK home and garden problems for , each linked to its primary source. Updated .
Data and research
- Damp and mould in English homes: how common?
How common is damp and mould in England: 1.3 million homes (5%) had a damp problem in 2023-24, the highest in five years, with private rented and council homes worst at 9%.
- UK Home and Garden Data: Sourced Indexes
Sourced data assets from HomesAndHedge, including the UK Home Repair and Problem Cost Index. Every figure traces to a named public source.
- UK Home Repair and Problem Cost Index (2026)
A sourced index of indicative UK costs for pest control, damp proofing, Japanese knotweed removal, drain unblocking, roof moss removal and tree surgery.
Wildlife and the law
- UK Wildlife and Pest Law for Homeowners
A plain guide to what is legal when wildlife enters your home: bats and birds are protected, grey squirrels must not be released alive, and welfare rules apply.
About
- About HomesAndHedge
HomesAndHedge is an independent UK home and garden information service, operated by Best Business Loans Ltd, with a named editor and cited sources.
Editorial team
- , Editor, HomesAndHedge
is the editor of HomesAndHedge, the UK home and garden problem-solver.
- Editorial team, Homes & Hedge
The named editorial team behind HomesAndHedge.
Accreditations
- Accreditations and registrations
The public registrations and identifiers for Best Business Loans Ltd, the company that operates HomesAndHedge, each linked to its primary register.
Data API and MCP
- HomesAndHedge Data API and MCP Server
Read-only public JSON for UK home and garden problems and indicative costs. REST endpoints plus an MCP server for AI agents, CC BY 4.0.
site-index
accessibility
- Accessibility statement
How HomesAndHedge is designed to be easy to read and use, including site search, the site index, plain English, and keyboard and screen-reader support.
questions
- Am I Entitled to Alternative Accommodation During Repairs? UK Guide
Whether a tenant gets alternative accommodation during major repairs in England depends on the tenancy, the council and the courts. Section 11 alone does not grant it.
- Can I Be Evicted for Complaining About Disrepair? UK Guide
Retaliatory or revenge eviction explained: the Deregulation Act 2015 protection, and how the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 ending section 21 changes the picture.
- Can I Withhold Rent Because of Damp and Mould? UK Tenant Guide
There is no automatic right to withhold rent for damp and mould in England. This guide explains the proper routes: reporting, repair and deduct, set-off and the council.
- Does Awaab's Law Cover Private Renters Yet? UK Guide (2026)
Awaab's Law sets fixed damp and mould timescales for social landlords from October 2025. Extending it to private renters is a later phase with no date set yet.
- How Do I Prove Damp Is Structural, Not 'Lifestyle'? UK Guide
How to gather evidence that damp is a building fault rather than condensation from how you live, so a landlord cannot dismiss it as a lifestyle problem.
- Renting and the Law: Tenant Questions Answered (UK)
Plain-English answers to common UK renting and housing-hazard questions: withholding rent, retaliatory eviction, Awaab’s Law, proving damp, pest control and repairs.
- Who Pays for Pest Control, Landlord or Tenant? UK Guide
Whether the landlord or tenant pays for pest control in a rented home in England depends on the cause and the tenancy. This guide explains the rules and the council route.
contact
- Contact, Homes & Hedge
How to contact HomesAndHedge: editorial corrections, data protection, and the registered operator.
cookies
- Cookies, Homes & Hedge
How HomesAndHedge uses cookies and how to control them.
editorial-policy
- Editorial policy, Homes & Hedge
How HomesAndHedge sources, fact-checks and edits its guides: named primary sources, a named editor, and clear corrections.
privacy
- Privacy policy, Homes & Hedge
How HomesAndHedge handles data: who the operator is, the analytics we use, and your rights.
terms
- Terms of use, Homes & Hedge
The terms for using HomesAndHedge: information only, not professional advice, how advertising works, liability and governing law.
trust
- Trust centre
How HomesAndHedge uses AI, checks facts against named UK sources, corrects mistakes, handles complaints and protects your data. One place for our editorial, AI-use and data standards.