ServiceMaster Survey Reveals Many Homeowners Feel Unprepared for Home Maintenance Needs

MEMPHIS, TN--(Marketwired - May 19, 2016) -  A home is where the heart is, but unfortunately it can bring heartache, too. ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV) found in a recent survey that 92 percent of homeowners report they feel unprepared to address home maintenance needs.

"With increasingly busy lives, people want convenient access to trusted solutions that they can depend on for problems they can't or don't want to fix themselves," says Rob Gillette, ServiceMaster chief executive officer. "These survey findings highlight an opportunity to help homeowners better prepare before a problem strikes, and also arm them with the tools they need when one inevitably does."

The 2016 ServiceMaster Experience Homeowner Survey uncovered unique insights from current and prospective homeowners about their experiences with and attitudes toward home maintenance. The results show that homeowners are looking for professional home services provided by experts that can diagnose and fix homeowners' dilemmas.

• Nearly all consumers (83 percent) say it would be useful to have one resource to help with multiple home maintenance needs.
• More than half of homeowners and prospective homeowners surveyed say they feel unprepared to address (58 percent) and not very knowledgeable about (54 percent) home maintenance needs.
• Over the last five years, the homeowners surveyed have called in a professional an average of four times to assist with home maintenance.
• When it comes to taking care of home maintenance needs, homeowners feel least prepared to tackle HVAC maintenance, and also unprepared to handle structural repair due to weather damage.
• Two-fifths (41 percent) of homeowners and prospective homeowners say they wouldn't know who to call if they had a home maintenance need in the next three months.

To help solve "the homeowner's dilemma," ServiceMaster, a leading provider of essential residential and commercial services, is launching its Fix My House Sweepstakes, giving consumers the chance to win weekly prizes worth $2,000 towards new appliances, and a grand prize of a $5,000 Home Depot gift card.

The sweepstakes runs from May 17 through June 27. During this time, ServiceMaster will share a post on the brand's Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/ServiceMaster) asking people to share a photo and brief description of their DIY home "fix it" fail or other home improvement dilemmas as a comment to the post. Those who share their "fail" or dilemma, along with the #FixMyHouseSweeps hashtag, will be entered to win a weekly prize or the grand prize. Each week, one entry will be randomly selected to receive GE appliance(s) valued at up to $2,000.

At the conclusion of the sweepstakes, one grand prize winner will be selected from all entries to receive a $5,000 Home Depot gift card to put towards a home improvement project. For complete rules, visit https://www.facebook.com/ServiceMaster.

To learn more about ServiceMaster, its service brands and how the company is transforming the way it does business, visit the ServiceMaster Media Center. You can also follow the company on Facebook or Twitter.

Survey Methodology
The 2016 ServiceMaster Experience Homeowner Survey presents the findings of an online survey conducted by Toluna from March 15-17, 2016 among a sample of 1,959 American homeowners and prospective (next 12 months) homeowners 18 years of age and older. The margin of error for a sample of this size is ± 2% at a 95% level of confidence.

About ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) solves the homeowner's dilemma. Every day, we visit more than 75,000 homes and businesses through our extensive service network of expert professionals. Technology powers our trusted experts to engage with customers so they can order, buy and receive services when, where and how they want them. Our well-recognized brands includes American Home Shield (home warranties), AmeriSpec (home inspections), Furniture Medic (furniture repair), Merry Maids (residential cleaning), ServiceMaster Clean (janitorial and residential floor cleaning), ServiceMaster Restore (disaster restoration) and Terminix (termite and pest control). Like, follow or visit us at Facebook.com/ServiceMaster, Linkedin.com/ServiceMaster, Twitter.com/ServiceMaster, or ServiceMaster.com.