How the Score is calculated
The Household Readiness Score is deliberately simple enough to check by hand. Twelve questions, four per place. Each answer scores 0 (No), 1 (Partly) or 2 (Yes).
The maths
- Each place score = points ÷ maximum points × 100, rounded.
- Total = the mean of the three place scores, rounded.
- Labels: 85+ Ready · 65–84 Solid · 35–64 Getting there · under 35 Starting out.
- Next moves: for each question short of a full Yes, we multiply the gap (1 or 2) by the question's weight and take the top three. Ties go to the cheaper fix.
The questions and their standards
Every question maps to a published standard. Weights reflect how much each item matters on the day, judged by us and shown in full below — nothing is hidden.
| Question | Place | Standard | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you have three days of drinking water stored? | cupboard | GOV.UK Prepare: 2.5–3 L per person per day (WHO minimum) | 10 |
| Three days of food that needs no cooking, and a tin opener? | cupboard | GOV.UK Prepare: non-perishable food that doesn't need cooking, plus a tin opener | 8 |
| A working torch that isn't your phone, plus spare batteries or a wind-up? | cupboard | GOV.UK Prepare: battery or wind-up torch; spare batteries | 7 |
| A charged power bank and a battery or wind-up radio? | cupboard | GOV.UK Prepare: portable power bank; battery or wind-up radio | 6 |
| Is there £100 or more in cash, in small notes, somewhere at home? | cushion | Our standard, informed by LINK: 17% of UK adults keep emergency cash at home (YouGov, March 2026) | 8 |
| Could you cover one month of essential bills from savings you can reach quickly? | cushion | MoneyHelper emergency-savings guidance | 7 |
| Are you signed up to flood and weather alerts, and the Priority Services Register if you're eligible? | cushion | GOV.UK Prepare: sign up for flood and weather warnings; Priority Services Register | 7 |
| Is there a paper list of the numbers you'd need — 105, your water company, GP, insurer — and copies of key documents? | cushion | GOV.UK Prepare: write down important phone numbers on paper, including 105 | 5 |
| Could you walk five kilometres in an hour without stopping? | capability | Our Ready Body standard; consistent with NHS 150 min/week moderate activity | 6 |
| Could you carry two full shopping bags — 15 to 20 kg — up two flights of stairs? | capability | Our Ready Body standard; strength work on 2+ days/week per NHS | 7 |
| Can you get up off the floor without using your hands? | capability | Our Ready Body standard; NHS older-adults guidance on strength and balance | 6 |
| In the last two years, have you done basic first aid or actually cooked on a camping stove? | capability | Our standard | 6 |
Privacy
You don't need to give an email address to see your result. Answers submitted to us are stored anonymously and only ever reported in aggregate; if you choose the four-week email plan, your address is stored separately from your answers. Full detail in the privacy notice.