Moving in together? Then get set for a clearout, fellas

Women throw out 18 of their partner’s treasured possessions after moving in together, according to new research.
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From scruffy clothes to tatty magazine collections and sports memorabilia, the average man can say goodbye to any CDs, old jackets and perhaps even his favourite chair if it doesn’t fit with the look of the home.

Scruffiness is the biggest reason for women to deem an item worthy of the bin, with four in ten relentless ladies in the South East binning an item of her partner’s without his consent if she feels it ‘gets in the way.’

The extent to which women take charge of a home’s appearance was also shown with over half of all items in the average South East home being picked out by the lady of the house.

Experts who carried out a detailed study into equipment, furnishings, styles and colours in 2,000 modern homes found over 50 per cent is chosen by the woman of the house in the South East.

The study of 2,000 couples, commissioned by Banner Homes, revealed men do have some say on the surroundings, usually electronic equipment or the type of car purchased but it’s their partners who take the lead in furniture, appliances and even the location of the house itself.

Piers Banfield of Banner Homes said: “When it comes to deciding on the look and feel of a house, every couple goes through their own process but it’s clear that more often than not a woman’s taste is the bigger influence.

“The majority of women are very proud of the look of their home and it seems they’ll maintain that at any cost – even if it means throwing items of their partner’s away that aren’t in keeping with the tone.

“Men often trust their partner to lead the design and decoration of the home and tend to take the initiative on decisions in other areas and that compromise is only natural in any relationship.”

The report saw nearly six in ten men in the South East say ‘a woman’s touch’ is necessary to make a house feel like a home despite their lack of input into the appearance themselves.

The research into choices around the home also examined the decision process involved in the purchase of a new property and saw that genders differ - women are more likely to look for a decent size kitchen, while men worry about where the television will go.

The study also found that only 15 per cent of men in the South East think decisions around the home are actually 50/50.

In fact, half leave all decisions on the appearance of the home to their wife or partner.

One fifth of South East men don’t even get asked their opinion, while 31 per cent say if they disagree their partner will just go with what she thinks best anyway.

Perhaps no surprises then that nearly half of the men studied confessed they often just agree with their partner for an easy life.

Nearly half of men in the South East say they’ve had to throw out items that their partners insisted go in the bin because they didn’t fit with the look of the place, whilst one in ten say they sometimes look around their house and think that very little of their possessions are just their own.

When it comes to hunting for a property and making the big decisions, women in the South East were four times as likely to be the one who had the biggest say on whether or not to move in.

Two thirds of people in the South East knew that they wanted to move into their current property the very day they first looked at it, while nearly half knew it was the place for them in under half an hour.

Piers added: “Partners work together to create a home that both feel comfortable in and people tend to take on the roles that they’ve got a genuine interest in.

“We spend so much time in our homes it’s important we love the property, feel comfortable and get the look just right.”

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