Not de-lighted - study reveals most irritating aspects of family life

The people we live with infuriate us 296 times a year, with the most annoying habits including leaving lights on, not replacing the loo roll and loading the dishwasher badly, according to a new study.

The research by Privilege Home Insurance found we tend to find those we live with so irritating that a third (32 per cent) of Britons living with another say their happiest moments are while they are at home alone. And when these annoyances have resulted in confrontation, half (49 per cent) say it has led to a shouting match, while almost a third (29 per cent) have had the silent treatment, and one in five (19 per cent) have become so exasperated by the habits of others they have walked out of the house.

With an average of 109 rows a year over issues like the toilet seat being left up, leaving taps running and not doing the recycling properly, almost a fifth (19 per cent) confess they've thought about booking into a hotel just for some peace and quiet.

Meanwhile, 21 per cent wish they instead lived alone, and a quarter (24 per cent) actually look forward to spending time in the toilet or bathroom, saying it's the only alone time they actually get.

The study by Privilege Home Insurance, found 5.16pm is the peak time for household annoyances, after children get back from school and adults start returning home from work.

And we really irritate each other when all together in the house on weekends with Saturdays crowned the most annoying day of the week. Two of the things that gets British households worked up the most is lights being left on in empty rooms, and people expecting others to clean up after them, both common practice in almost half (42 per cent) of households.

But when we’re not yelling at each other to “turn the light off!” or “put your stuff away!”, it’s our bathroom habits that often get us into hot water. Two in five (38 per cent) are annoyed by others leaving the tap running, while a third (34 per cent) get aggravated by them not replacing the loo roll, leaving the toilet seat up (21 per cent), or taking too long in the bathroom (20 per cent).

Meal times are also a case in point, where a third (30 per cent) are irritated by food wastage, a quarter (26 per cent) get in a lather about someone not doing the washing up, and one in eight (12 per cent) frustrated when the dishwasher isn't loaded properly.

In general, it seems that women get annoyed more than men, but the thing that gets their back up the most was men whose ‘aim was a little off’ in the smallest room of the house (56 per cent).

Women aged 27 are the most irritating, and possibly the least desirable to live with, whereas the perfect co-habitees are also women, but not until they’re 69 years old.

Christian Mendes, Head of Privilege Home Insurance, said: “Family life can be complicated, and I recognise many of the things on the list from my own house!

“If we all tried to change just one of the things we do that annoy those we live with, our homes would become more peaceful environments to live in.

“Although it’s not on the list, not having adequate home insurance could certainly cause annoyance, so it’s important to ensure you have a comprehensive policy in place, so you’re not left in a sticky situation should you need to make a claim.”

Families’ Most annoying habits:

1. Wee on the toilet seat, or the floor around the toilet - 44%

2. Leaving the lights on in empty rooms - 42%

3. Expecting others to clean up after them - 42%

4. Leaving the tap running - 38%

5. Leaving dirty washing lying on the floor - 35%

6. Not replacing the loo roll - 34%

7. Food wastage - 30%

8. Not recycling/placing incorrect items in the recycling - 26%

9. Not doing the washing up -26%

10. Using a screen when I’m talking to them -24%

11. Leaving the toilet seat up -21%

12. Taking too long in the bathroom/toilet-20%

13. Using all the hot water -15%

14. Not making the bed - 14%

15. Bad dishwasher loading -12%

16. Not rinsing plates before putting them in the dishwasher - 11%

Most Annoying Day of the Week

1. Saturday

2. Monday

3. Sunday

4. Friday

5. Wednesday

6. Tuesday

7. Thursday

-ends-

For more information, please contact Georgia Andrewes at Richmond & Towers:

georgia@rtc.london / 020 3179 0720

Notes to editors

Research carried out amongst a nationally representative sample of 2,004 UK adults by Opinium Research between 15th and 18th March 2019. Desirability to live with calculated based on identifying the gender and age group that are most likely to commit each bad habit, followed by looking at the median age within that age group.

Privilege Insurance specialises in home insurance for homeowners and landlords. It also offers car insurance and breakdown cover by phone or on-line. Privilege general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Privilege and UK Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc. Customers can find out more about Privilege’s products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 0515 or visiting www.privilege.co.uk