Kitchens and bathrooms are a home's "marketing tool"

An industry expert has claimed that kitchens and bathrooms are the key when it comes to selling a home.

According to Andrew Leech, director of the National Home Improvement Council, people are more and more aware of design and renovation trends so realise what is current and what is not.

Mr Leech said kitchens and bathrooms in particular "are the real marketing tool of the house".

He advised that the big thing at the moment is the idea of a wet room, which does away with the traditional shower cubicle and turns the room into a shower area with "the whole floor sloping down to a grating in the centre".

In July, insurance company LV= found that 4.7 million homeowners were intending to refit their bathroom.

The insurer also discovered that almost 60 per cent of all Brits have undertaken home improvements in the last 12 months or were planning to complete them during the next six months.