More than one in two urban residents have someone look after their home while on holiday

12 July 2017

Relatives trusted most often, neighbours asked for other things

More than one in two urban residents of rental homes ask a relative, friend or neighbour to look after their home while on holiday, says the housing investment company SATO residents’ panel. Relatives are the most popular choice to look after the place, while neighbours are asked to lend a hammer or help carry large items.

A total of 57% of urban residents of rental homes have someone look after their home while on holiday. When they leave the city for a longer period, they prefer to ask a relative to water their plants. A total of 34% of respondents to a SATO Pulse residents’ panel survey reported they turn to a relative when they need someone to take care of things while away. Most reported regarding relatives as reliable as the reason for this.

”My dad’s already got my keys anyway and he’s not interested in poking through my stuff,” says one respondent. ”Mum knows best, doesn’t she? And she may also fold my laundry and empty the dishwasher while she’s at it,” another respondent points out.

Friends are also trusted as 16% of respondents would ask a mate to look after their home.

”My best friend, someone I love and can trust,” is how one respondent justifies the choice. As well as being reliable, a friend is often asked to look after the place because they live nearby. Returning the favour is also the done thing: ”We then take care of their mail and water their plants when they’re away,” says a respondent.

Fewer than 5% of respondents let a neighbour into their home while away. Familiarity, reliability and a long history as neighbours play a major role in whether or not people ask their neighbours for help. ”We’ve got to know them over the years at communal work gatherings and they all seem nice. That’s why we trust our mail and plants to this couple who live in our building.”

In most cases neighbourly help is asked for when people need to borrow something. Almost one in two respondents are ready to borrow a tool from a neighbour, and almost 40% would ask people living in the same building to help carry something large and heavy. In addition, almost 30% would ring a neighbour’s doorbell if they ran out of sugar.

– Most of SATO homes are in apartment buildings in a city where communality and getting along with neighbours play a big role in residents' wellbeing, says Miia Eloranta, Director, Marketing and Communications, from SATO. – The data obtained from the residents’ panel will help us find a variety of ways to promote good neighbourly relations.

The SATO residents’ panel survey had 230 respondents, all of whom were SATO residents and 70% were households with one or two adult members. 59% of the respondents were from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, 13% from Tampere, 12% from Turku, 4% from Oulu, 3% from Jyväskylä and the rest from elsewhere in Finland. Accessed on smartphones, the residents’ panel enables SATO residents over the age of 18 to express their views on topics they consider important and have a say in their housing.

 
More information:

Miia Eloranta, Director of Marketing and Communications
phone +358 201 34 4497 or +358 50 441 4221, miia.eloranta@sato.fi

www.sato.fi/pulssi