Enter your postcode to see how your address compares to the rest of the UK.
Being burgled is horrid. Even if the financial losses are minimised by a home insurance claim, some things have more sentimental value and it's never nice to know someone has been inside your home going through your things.
That’s why it’s better to avoid being burgled at all by taking simple, practical steps to boost your home security, such as fitting an alarm.
We've compared close to 3m home insurance quotes run on our site and ordered postcodes by their likelihood of being burgled. Where does yours rank?
Burglary Hotspots
Do you live in a burglary hotspot? Enter your postcode to see how your address compares to the rest of the UK.
Burglary can cause upset and anguish. Even if the financial losses are minimised by a home insurance claim, it's better to avoid being burgled at all by taking simple, practical steps boost levels of home security and consider fitting an alarm.
We've compared more than 2m home insurance quotes run on our site and ordered postcodes by their likelihood of being burgled. Where does yours rank?
| UK Rank | Postal Area Code | Postal Area | Rate per '000 |
|---|
| UK Rank | Postal Area Code | Postal Area | Rate per '000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E9 | Homerton, Hackney Wick, South Hackney | 64.48 |
| 2 | EC1V | Finsbury, Moorfields Eye Hospital | 57.85 |
| 3 | SE21 | Dulwich, Dulwich Village, West Dulwich | 56.47 |
| 4 | B5 | Digbeth, Highgate, Lee Bank | 53.16 |
| 5 | N21 | Winchmore Hill, Bush Hill, Grange Park | 50.89 |
| 6 | B95 | Chigwell | 49.82 |
| 7 | SK4 | Stockport, Four Heatons | 48.06 |
| 8 | RM4 | Havering-atte-Bower, Abridge, Stapleford Abbotts | 48.54 |
| 9 | TW9 | North Sheen, Kew | 47.48 |
| 10 | SE24 | Herne Hill, Tulse Hill | 46.51 |
| 11 | B48 | Alvechurch | 45.73 |
| 12 | E5 | Upper Clapton, Lower Clapton, Leyton | 45.56 |
| 13 | B94 | Olton, Solihull | 45.45 |
| 14 | TW10 | Ham, Petersham | 44.50 |
| 15 | B13 | Moseley, Billesley | 42.74 |
| 16 | S17 | Dore, Totley, Bradway | 42.40 |
| 17 | LS20 | Guiseley | 42.34 |
| 18 | TW12 | Hampton | 42.28 |
| 19 | SW13 | Barnes, Castelnau | 42.21 |
| 20 | B93 | Olton, Solihull | 41.77 |
The good news for homeowners is that our latest figures suggest that the number of burglaries carried out fell between 2020 and 2021.
Of the 2.8m home insurance customers surveyed, just 37,500 – or 1.3% - made a burglary claim between the beginning of 2020 and the end of 2021.
Year or year, the number of burglary claims per 1,000 quotes also dropped to 11.20, down from 14.98 in 2020 and 16.03 in 2019.
However, some of these falls may be due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced many people to stay at home more than usual in both 2020 and 2021.
So, it’s still sensible to stay alert to the risk of theft from your home, especially if you live in one of the burglary hotspots – the 20 postcodes where residents are most likely to make a burglary claim – revealed in our latest research.
2021 burglary hotspots
As in previous years, cities had the highest claims overall with the most hotspots located in Greater London and Greater Birmingham.
Stratford in the East London postcode of E9 claimed the dubious honour of coming first, with 64.84 claims recorded for every 1,000 quotes, up from 59.44 in 2020.
At the other end of the scale, Bideford in the Exeter postcode of EX39 had the lowest number of burglary claims per 1,000 quotes – 0.59 – for the second year running.
Postcodes with the most burglary claims
Rank | Postcode district | Post town | Contents theft rate (per 1,000)* |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | E9 | Stratford | 64.84 |
2 | EC1V | Finsbury East | 57.85 |
3 | SE21 | Dulwich, Dulwich Village, West Dulwich, Tulse Hill, Sydenham Hill | 56.47 |
4 | B5 | Digbeth, Highgate, Lee Bank | 53.16 |
5 | N21 | Winchmore Hill, Bush Hill, Grange Park | 50.89 |
6 | B95 | Stratford upon Avon, Henley in Arden | 49.82 |
7 | SK4 | Stockport, Four Heatons | 49.06 |
8 | RM4 | Romford (Havering-atte-Bower, Abridge, Stapleford Abbotts, Noak Hill, Navestock, Stapleford Tawney, Stapleford Aerodrome, Passingford Bridge) | 48.54 |
9 | TW9 | Richmond, Kew, North Sheen (north) | 47.48 |
10 | SE24 | Lambeth, Southwark | 46.51 |
11 | B48 | Alvechurch, Cobley Hill, Weatheroak Hill, Arrowfield Top, Rowney Green | 47.73 |
12 | E5 | Upper Clapton and Lower Clapton | 45.56 |
13 | B94 | Earlswood, Hockley Heath, Dorridge, Lapworth, Tanworth in Arden | 45.45 |
14 | TW10 | Richmond (Ham, Petersham, Richmond Hill, North Sheen (south), Richmond Park | 44.50 |
15 | B13 | Moseley, Moor Green, Springfield, Wake Green, Cannon Hill, Billesley, Billesley Common | 42.74 |
16 | S17 | Dore, Totley, Bradway, Totley Brook, Totley Rise | 42.40 |
17 | LS20 | Guiseley, West Carlton, Hawksworth, Tranmere Park, Greenbottom, Kelcliffe | 42.34 |
18 | TW12 | Hampton, Hampton Hill, Fulwell (west) | 42.28 |
19 | SW13 | Richmond upon Thames | 42.21 |
20 | B93 | Knowle, Bentley Heath, Dorridge, Copt Heath | 41.77 |
As in previous years, cities had the highest claims overall with the most hotspots located in Greater London and Greater Birmingham.
Stratford in the East London postcode of E9 claimed the dubious honour of coming first, with 64.84 claims recorded for every 1,000 quotes, up from 59.44 in 2020.
At the other end of the scale, Bideford in the Exeter postcode of EX39 had the lowest number of burglary claims per 1,000 quotes – 0.59 – for the second year running.
Postcodes with the fewest burglary claims
Rank | Postcode district | Post town | Contents theft rate (per 1,000)* |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | EX39 | Bideford | 0.59 |
2 | BT23 | Newtownards | 0.71 |
3 | EX31 | Barnstaple | 0.77 |
4 | TQ13 | Bovey Tracey, Ashburton, Chudleigh, Chagford, Moretonhampstead | 0.80 |
5 | CA1 | Carlisle (east) | 0.89 |
6 | SY23 | Llanrhystud | 0.91 |
7 | CH65 | Ellesmere Port | 0.97 |
8 | BT53 | Ballymoney | 1.04 |
9 | IV30 | Belgin | 1.08 |
10 | SA62 | Haverfordwest | 1.10 |
11 | CA2 | Carlisle | 1.13 |
12 | TQ7 | Kingsbridge, Thurlestone, Aveton Gifford, Malborough, South Milton, Chillington | 1.13 |
13 | TA21 | Wellington, Chelston, Holcombe Rogus, Greenham, Nynehead, Rockwell Green | 1.14 |
14 | PE31 | Wellington, Chelston, Holcombe Rogus, Greenham, Nynehead, Rockwell Green | 1.18 |
15 | KY16 | St Andrews | 1.26 |
16 | GU46 | Yateley, Sandhurst, Blackwater | 1.26 |
17 | DL6 | Brompton, Osmotherley, Swainby, Ingleby Arncliffe, Potto | 1.27 |
18 | IP25 | Feltwell, Northwold, Mundford, Foulden, Methwold | 1.28 |
19 | DH8 | Consett, Durham, Stanley | 1.28 |
20 | SR3 | Sunderland | 1.29 |
Preventative measures
Whether you live in a crime-prone area or not, it’s always a good idea to protect your home as much as possible.
Simple steps you can take to help deter thieves include:
Investing in decent locks for your windows and doors
Marking your possessions with a UV security pen so anything stolen can be identified
Planting prickly bushes, but keeping them low enough for neighbours to spot anyone trying to break in
Installing cameras and automatic sensor lights or even a fully monitored smart system
Getting an alarm installed by a supplier accredited by either the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) – a NACOSS Gold supplier – or the Security Systems an Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB)
Keeping valuables away from windows and storing keys out of sight
What to do if you’re burgled
Here’s a quick checklist of what to do if your home is burgled:
Report it to the police as soon as you can
Avoid touching anything to increase the chances of police finding fingerprints etc.
Once you have a crime reference number, call the claims number on your home insurance policy documents to make a home insurance claim
Take photos showing the items stolen or damaged in each room before starting to clear up