New research has shown that people who own property overseas are paying a significant sum of money to technicians who may have attended plumbing courses.

A study by the Post Office showed central heating is the third biggest maintenance cost for houses abroad.

Homeowners may benefit from taking plumbing courses, so they do not need to hire an engineer to maintain this feature of the property.

Sarah Munro, head of international payments at the Post Office, pointed out that payments can end up being more expensive if owners are charged transaction fees for moving money overseas.

"Just like buying a home in the UK, buying an overseas property comes with a variety of costs, other than just the initial purchase price," she said.

The study showed central heating is the second biggest cost for properties in France.

Last month, a report by the same company showed people are willing to pay a