People living in bungalows 'UK's happiest homeowners'

People living in bungalows are the nation's happiest homeowners, a survey has found.

Nearly nine in 10 (88%) homeowners living in all property types say they are happy with their current home, according to research from Sarah Beeny's estate agent Tepilo.com.

Those surveyed said they would need to spend just over £21,000 on their property to feel completely content, however.

The 88% figure was made up people who said they are either happy or very happy with their home.

People living in bungalows were the most likely to say they are very happy with their property, with 51% agreeing.

This was followed by those living in detached properties (41%), semi-detached homes (37%) and flats (34%).

Those living in terraced properties were found to be the least happy, with just a third (33%) saying they were very happy in their home.

Homeowners generally said they would need to fork out £21,376 on average to make themselves feel completely happy with their property.

Adding a new kitchen, installing a new bathroom and creating more storage space were the most common improvements that homeowners said would make them feel happier.

There were also less costly options, with a comfy sofa, a fire, framed pictures of family and friends, fresh flowers and a deep clean among common additions people said they would choose to lift their spirits.

The factors found to have the most influence on whether people said they were happy in their home were the property's location, followed by its size, garden, layout, parking situation, amount of natural light, neighbours and running costs, the survey of 2,000 people found.

Aspects that make homeowners least happy included a lack of storage space, dated kitchens, tired bathrooms, and old age causing costly repairs.

Beeny said: "This research reveals that owning a home is a real source of happiness for most, which is great to see.

"The figure we'd need to spend to make us even happier is fairly high, but new bathrooms and kitchens can really transform a home, so these types of improvements are usually worth the investment required.

"And for those without big budgets available, it's great to see that most people feel happiness can be upped with a big comfy sofa, a fire and pictures of family and friends, all things that are easily achievable, even on a budget."

Tepilo has an online quiz for people to see how they compare in the happiness with their home stakes at www.tepilo.com/how-happy-is-your-home.