Birmingham's Henley-in-Arden tops list of UK burglary claim hotspots

 

• Henley-in-Arden in Birmingham has the most burglary claims, overtaking last year’s leader Guildford
   
•   UK burglaries increased by 16 per cent over the past year, from a rate of 13.42 claims per 1000 to 15.57
   
•    Chelmsford has the second highest rate of break-ins in the country, despite 80 per cent of local residents believing their area is largely unaffected by burglaries
   
•  How does your postcode compare? Check MoneySuperMarket’s Burglary Claims Tool to find out

Henley-in-Arden (B95), on the outskirts of Birmingham, is officially the UK’s top burglary claims hotspot¹, according to MoneySuperMarket’s annual Burglary Claims Tool.

The UK’s leading price comparison website analysed over 2.5 million home insurance quotes from the last two years (January 2017 to December 2018 inclusive) to identify the UK’s burglary hotspots, based on the highest and lowest rate of claims for home contents theft within a five-year period².

The data reveals a 16 per cent national increase in rates of theft, with an average of 15.57 claims per 1,000 quotes in 2018, up from 13.42 in 2017.

Although consumer research³ reveals that one in five Brits (20 per cent) believe that they live in an area where properties are burgled more than the national average, almost half (44 per cent) haven’t taken any precautionary measures to protect their home, including installing burglar alarms, window locks or security cameras¹.

The Birmingham postcode district, B95, has risen to the top of the rankings, with a rate of 50.46 claims per 1,000 quotes. Meanwhile, residents of last year’s top burglary hotspot, Guildford postcode district GU3, will be pleased to see it has fallen out of this year’s top 20 and now sits in 171^st place. However, neighbouring Woking postcode district GU23 is a new entry into the top 20, in seventh place.

Another Birmingham postcode district, B94, also features in the top 20, with 45.80 claims per 1,000 quotes¹. Despite many areas of Birmingham featuring heavily in the most burgled locations in the UK, just three per cent of residents say they feel unsafe when at home³.

The CM4 postcode district of Ingatestone, located just south of Chelmsford, has risen from 11^th place last year to second in this year’s rankings⁴, with 49.76 claims per 1,000 quotes¹. Despite an increase in the area, only three per cent of residents in the Chelmsford area feel unsafe in their home.

Rank	Postcode district	Post town	Contents theft rate (per 1000) *
1	B95	Henley-in-Arden	50.46
2	CM4	Ingatestone	49.76
3	IG5	Ilford	47.56
4	EH4	Edinburgh	46.43
5	LS8	Leeds	46.30
6	B94	Solihull	45.80
7	GU23	Woking	45.30
8	SK8	Cheadle	45.29
9	EH15	Edinburgh	43.99
10	M21	Manchester	43.98
11	CB5	Cambridge	43.48
12	M20	Manchester	42.92
13	BS7	Bristol	42.79
14	RH8	Oxted	42.65
15	SK4	Stockport	42.08
16	L16	Liverpool	42.04
17	LS17	Leeds	41.81
18	BS9	Bristol	41.78
19	TW11	Teddington	41.32
20	IG9	Buckhurst Hill	41.28

Highest postcode districts for contents claims on home insurance policies

Perceptions vs reality

When identifying how residents feel about the burglary rate of their local area, those in Leeds (31 per cent) and London (28 per cent) are the most likely to believe they live in a burglary hotspot. The largest disconnect between perception and reality is in Belfast where, despite almost a quarter (24 per cent) of residents thinking they live in an area targeted by thieves, the contents theft rate is only 7.2, less than half the national average of 14.8.

Major city	Postcode	% of local residents who believe they live in a burglary hotspot	Contents theft rate (per 1000)
Belfast	BT	24	7.36
Birmingham	B	22	21.24
Bristol	BS	18	17.09
Cardiff	CF	11	11.95
Edinburgh	EH	15	20.19
Leeds	LS	31	26.49
Liverpool	L	18	15.72
London	N, E, W, SE, SW, NW, WC, EC	28	16.69
Manchester	M	21	23.43
Newcastle	NE	13	9.10

Of the postcodes with at least one claim for theft, Whitehaven near Carlisle (CA28) has the lowest rate, with 0.76 claims per 1,000 quotes. The region around Carlisle features three times in the 20 areas least likely to be burgled, with Cockermouth (CA13) and Mayport (CA15) in third and 15^thplace respectively. Other areas successfully keeping burglars at bay include Falmouth in Cornwall (TR11), with a rate of just 0.92 per 1,000, and Aberystwyth (SY23), with a rate of 1.08 per 1,000. There are also 98 postcode districts with no recorded claims, according to MoneySuperMarket data⁶.

Impact on premiums⁶

MoneySuperMarket analysis found that, on average, those who have been subject to a burglary over the past five years pay an average of 16.8 per cent more for their contents insurance policy.

Emma Garland, data scientist at MoneySuperMarket, commented: “Over the past 12 months, burglars have mostly been targeting suburbs and urban areas, with the safest areas dominated by smaller towns and villages.

“Anyone that has ever been burgled will tell you that the cost goes beyond the value of the items stolen, from the psychological impact of your home being violated to the difficulty of replacing things with sentimental value. That’s why it’s surprising to see that almost half of people haven’t put any additional protection in place for their home, despite one in five believing they live in a burglary hotspot.

“For thieves, it’s all about risk versus reward – if the reward looks likely to exceed the risk, they are going to target that home. Homeowners must do as much as possible to tip the balance in their favour and make things harder for burglars.

“People who have been targeted by thieves previously pay an average of 16.8 per cent more for contents insurance, so it pays to ensure your home is as protected as possible. If you take precautions - such as fitting new door and window locks, installing bar windows where necessary and using security cameras – you can reduce both your contents insurance and your anxiety about getting burgled. Looking for the best deal possible at every renewal will also help keep premiums low.”

People can check how their area compares to neighbouring postal districts and other locations in the UK by visiting MoneySuperMarket’s interactive Burglary Claims Tool, which displays the rate of burglary claims made in every postal area in the UK. Visitors can also access information on how to improve their home security and reduce the likelihood of burglary.

Rank	Postcode district	Post town	Contents theft rate (per 1000) *
1	CA28	Whitehaven (near the Lake District)	0.76
2	TR11	Falmouth	0.92
3	CA13	Cockermouth (near the Lake District)	1.08
4	SY23	Aberystwyth	1.08
5	CA1	Carlisle	1.10
6	PL19	Tavistock	1.23
7	DD10	Montrose (East coast of Scotland)	1.24
8	NR10	Norwich	1.29
9	KY4	Cowdenbeath (near Dunfermline)	1.32
10	KY5	Lochgelly (near Dunfermline)	1.35
11	NR11	Aylsham (Norfolk)	1.36
12	DL8	Aysgarth (Yorkshire Dales)	1.39
13	PA8	Erskine (near Glasgow)	1.46
14	SW3	Chelsea	1.48
15	CA15	Mayport (near the Lake District)	1.48
16	AB25	Aberdeen	1.54
17	SA14	Llanelli	1.56
18	TD15	Berwick-upon-Tweed	1.57
19	TQ7	Kingsbridge (near Plymouth)	1.59
20	EX17	Crediton (near Exeter)	1.62

⁶ Analysis comparing 19618 identical quote pairs from January 2018 to December 2018 where the only difference is a burglary claim.