These are the top 30 most house proud cities in the UK

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For a second year, researchers polled homeowners from 30 cities to determine where the most house proud Brits live - with Oxford, London and Aberystwyth topping the list.

Each city was awarded points based on their efforts to improve and upkeep their homes during the past year – taking into account things such as money spent on improvements and time spent cleaning.

Oxford was named the most house proud city, with its residents spending the most money on improvements and furnishings, and also utilising the services of more tradespeople than elsewhere.

But London, last year’s most house proud city, dropped to second place.

Checkatrade commissioned the research for its second annual Home Pride Index report which found 35 per cent of the 2,399 adults polled love their homes more now than they did a year ago.

Their affection for their dwellings is also reflected in increased home improvement spending, with an average £2,706 invested in the last 12 months.

More than a third of homeowners (34 per cent) even admitted they get envious when they see other people’s homes.

Entertaining guests at home

One of the trends which emerged from the 2020 report was the numbers of home office areas created – but in 2021 this figure dropped by 26 per cent.

Instead, as lockdown restrictions were relaxed, people prioritised areas of their homes where they would likely entertain guests – such as their kitchens and gardens.

The rooms which got the most investment were areas of the home where guests are likely to venture – the garden (£403.92), living room (£371.61), and bathroom (£348.66).

Mike Fairman, CEO of Checkatrade, said: “2020 put a strain on our homes, as we repurposed rooms and pushed their capabilities and robustness to their limits.

“As we returned to a more ‘normal’ way of living in 2021, it’s not surprising that almost a third of us have re-evaluated the relationship we have with our homes.

“This has no doubt contributed to why we’re all so loved- up - and we’re expecting this to be reflected in continued home improvement investment in 2022.’’

While those residing in Wolverhampton may not have been the biggest spenders, they did invest the most time cleaning and tidying their homes last year – a total of four hours and 41 minutes a week.