Homeowners in Leeds and London are the most likely in the UK to make a claim for theft or burglary on their home insurance policy, finds research from MoneySupermarket.com.
The third edition of the MoneySupermarket.com Monitor on home insurance analysed over three million home insurance quotes run on the website over 12 months. It found Leeds and London both feature heavily in the top 20 postcode districts most likely to have made a claim for burglary or theft from their home or garden.
The research revealed Stoke Newington in North London (N16), takes the top spot overall in the UK, closely followed by Apperley Bridge in Bradford and West Bromwich (B71), which took second and third place respectively. LS13 (Bramley, Rodley, and Swinnow) is the most ‘at-risk’ postcode district in Leeds for theft-related insurance claims. Close behind Leeds and London is Bradford which has three postcode districts in the top 20.
Julie Fisher, head of home insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: “Home is where the heart is, and there is no denying that a burglary in your home is an emotional and frightening experience. However, being in a higher risk area doesn’t necessarily mean where you live is bad or rife with crime – many thieves will target more affluent areas purely for the rewards on offer.
“No matter where you live there will always be an element of risk to the safety of your possessions so it is vital to have adequate home insurance in place. Properties classified as being in a ‘high-risk’ area – whether that be for crime, or something like flooding or subsidence – could see the price of cover affected. Unfortunately there is no escaping this and to make matters more complicated, there are no hard and fast rules which apply. Most insurers have a blanket approach when it comes to assessing postcode districts for home insurance premiums, but this really needs to change. If houses are evaluated on a case by case basis it would mean homeowners received quotes at the best possible prices based on their individual circumstances.
“Homeowners need to be extra vigilant when it comes to security – installing timers on your lights and ensuring items of value are kept away from your windows are easy steps to take to reduce risk. But you never know when an opportunistic thief may strike, so it’s crucial to ensure your home contents insurance is fully up to date, and is at a high enough level to cover all your belongings sufficiently.”
MoneySupermarket’s top tips to keep your home safe from thieves:
- Keep all items of value away from windows. This will ensure that anything of value is kept out of sight from an opportunistic thief.
- Ensure that you lock all windows and doors before leaving the house. This might sound a bit of a no brainer, but by neglecting this simple measure you are effectively leaving the door wide open for thieves to come in and out. It will also make it more difficult for you to make a claim as there will be no signs of a forced entry.
- Regularly check the state of your locks. It’s easy to forget that locks do not have an unlimited lifespan. If your lock has seen better days then this could make it easier for a thief to break in, so replace any older weaker locks with new ones. This could also drive down the cost of your premiums.
- Don’t leave items of high value lying around the house. If a thief does enter your property they aren’t going to want to stick around for long, so will grab anything in sight that may be of a high financial value. By storing away items such as jewellery, laptops, cameras and MP3’s, they are more likely to walk away empty-handed.
- Install a good home security system. An approved and professionally maintained alarm will not only make your home more secure but it could also make your premiums lower. Some insurers will offer a security discount if you have an alarm or other professionally maintained security system installed.
- Time your lights. Set your lights to come on a various intervals when you are away to make your home appears occupied.
- Cancel any unnecessary deliveries. Make sure milk or newspapers won’t be delivered when you are away. You should also ask a neighbour or someone you trust to open and close curtains and collect mail for you until you return.
- Don’t leave keys in obvious places. Thieves may watch your property before breaking in and if they can see that you hide your keys under a door mat, this will give them an easy way in. Also beware of ‘hook and crook’ thieves who will hook your keys through a letterbox if they are left close enough to your door.
- Install security lighting. Not only will this make your property safe for your visitors it will also put off any potential thieves – they are less likely to hang around your property if they are in full view of others.
