Enter your postcode to see how your address compares to the rest of the UK
Whether you live in a busy city centre or a sleepy suburb, unfortunately, home burglaries are an all too common occurrence. But where are people most at risk of being burgled and what can you do to keep your home safe and secure?
Being burgled is a deeply unpleasant experience, and while home insurance can minimise any financial losses, knowing that a stranger has been through your things can leave you feeling unsafe in your own home.
Burglaries are generally considered to be crimes of opportunity with offenders looking to take advantage of unsecured homes. And, while there are practical steps you can take to better protect your property, such as fitting an alarm or video doorbells, some areas are statistically more at risk of being burgled than others.
UK Burglary Hotspots
We analysed home insurance quotes from MoneySuperMarket Home Insurance customers to find the UK postcodes with the highest and lowest rates of burglary claims since 2021.
Postcodes with the most burglary claims
With 49.77 claims for every 1,000 quotes, the Birmingham postcode district of B15, which covers Edgbaston, is the UK’s burglary hotspot.
With both the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University having campuses in the B15 area, a high student population is likely a contributing factor to the high burglary rate.
Students often go home for Christmas, Easter and summer, and unoccupied houses are prime targets for would-be burglars.
Birmingham postcodes accounted for 10% of the UK’s burglary hotspots with five appearances in the top 50, while London, Leeds, Bristol, and Sheffield also had multiple appearances.
Burglary Hotspots
Do you live in a burglary hotspot?
Enter your postcode to see what the rate of burglaries was in your area between 2021-2023 and how it compared to the rest of the UK.
| UK Rank | Postal Area Code | Postal Area | Rate per '000 |
|---|
| UK Rank | Postal Area Code | Postal Area | Rate per '000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B15 | Edgbaston, Lee Bank | 49.77 |
| 2 | B94 | Olton, Solihull | 38.10 |
| 3 | SE24 | Herne Hill, Tulse Hill | 37.96 |
| 4 | SW14 | Mortlake, East Sheen | 36.47 |
| 5 | SW13 | Barnes, Castelnau | 35.35 |
| 6 | E9 | Homerton, Hackney Wick, South Hackney, Hackney Marshes, Victoria Park | 34.61 |
| 7 | TW12 | Hampton | 34.33 |
| 8 | N6 | Highgate, Hampstead Heath | 32.64 |
| 9 | E8 | Hackney Central, Dalston, London Fields | 32.52 |
| 10 | N10 | Muswell Hill | 32.01 |
| 11 | SE22 | East Dulwich, Peckham Rye, Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill | 31.73 |
| 12 | BS1 | Bristol City Centre, Redcliffe | 31.01 |
| 13 | KT7 | Thames Ditton, Weston Green | 31.01 |
| 14 | NW5 | Kentish Town, Tufnell Park, Dartmouth Park, Gospel Oak | 30.85 |
| 15 | S17 | Dore, Totley, Bradway | 30.09 |
| 16 | BS9 | Coombe Dingle, Sneyd Park, Stoke Bishop, Westbury on Trym, Henleaze, Bristol | 29.90 |
| 17 | W10 | North Kensington, Queens Park | 29.65 |
| 18 | B20 | Birchfield, Handsworth Wood Perry Barr | 29.46 |
| 19 | E5 | Upper Clapton, Lower Clapton, Leyton, Stoke Newington | 29.37 |
| 20 | LS20 | Guiseley | 29.32 |
Postcodes with the fewest burglary claims
On the other end of the scale, residents of the Northern Irish postcode district of BT23, which covers Newtownards, Ballygowan, Comber, Conlig, Killinchy, and Moneyrea can sleep easy knowing that where they live has had the fewest claims for every 1,000 quotes since 2021 - just 0.69.
On a regional level, the Scottish postcode district where people are least likely to be burgled is the AB51 district covering the town of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire (1.13 burglaries per 1,000 quotes), while in England the residents of the CA14 area in Cumbria have the least cause for concern.
The burglary rate in CA14, an area that includes Workington, Distington, and Seaton was just 1.28 per 1,000 quotes.
In Wales, the postal CH5 post district in Flintshire, an area which covers Connah's Quay, Shotton, Queensferry, Sealand, Sandycroft, Dobshill, and Ewloe, has a burglary rate of 1.41 per 1,000 quotes - the lowest in Wales and the 9th lowest in the UK.
Do burglary rates affect the cost of home insurance?
Crime rates are one of the key factors that insurers take into consideration when calculating the cost of your insurance premium. So, unfortunately, living in an area with a history of burglaries is likely to mean your home insurance quotes are more expensive - and that includes your car insurance too.
To help reduce the cost of your home insurance, consider paying annually, improving your home security with a burglar alarm or upgrading your door locks.
You could also reduce the price of your home insurance quote by increasing your voluntary excess, just remember that you’ll have to pay more if you need to make a claim.
Valuable items
While home insurance will cover the cost of your belongings should anything happen to them, it’s important to let your insurer know of any particularly valuable items that might exceed the policy’s single items limit.
So, whether you’re a keen collector of comic books, wine, rare coins, Pokémon cards, or maybe you’ve treated yourself to a nice watch or expensive jewellery, telling your insurance provider will give you the peace of mind of knowing that your treasured items are protected.
If your collection is particularly valuable, you might want to consider specialist jewellery, bicycle or art insurance.
Insurance Expert
Our expert says
“While it can be startling to see it laid out like this, it’s important to remember that taking simple steps to secure your home can help reduce the likelihood of being burgled.
“Our research also shows that burglary claims are trending downwards with the number of claims per 1,000 quotes falling by around 12% in the last year.
“However, it’s unlikely that people will see this reflected in how much they pay for their home insurance with the average cost of a buildings and contents policy increasing by 18% for the same period, according to our home insurance index.
“If you’re looking to save money on your home insurance, compare policies and prices to find the best deals. Installing a burglar alarm or upgrading old windows and doors can help bring your quote down in price while also making your home more secure.”
Whether you’ve taken simple steps to secure your property or if your home is practically a fortress, compare home insurance quotes with MoneySuperMarket and make sure your belongings are protected.
MoneySuperMarket’s tips for preventing burglaries
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:
Marking your possessions with a UV security pen so anything stolen can be identified
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 and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB)
Keeping valuables away from windows and storing car keys out of sight
MoneySuperMarket’s tips on 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 of damaged items before you start to clear up and look for receipts or example images of any stolen items
Methodology
An analysis of MoneySuperMarket home insurance quote data from the start of 2021 to the end of 2023.
Postcode areas with fewer than 300 enquiries (an average of 100 a year) were not considered.
Any postcodes with missing data were excluded from the study.
