If you want cheap home insurance, then steering clear of a burglary black spot when moving home will keep the price down.

One of the key factors in pricing home insurance is the risk of crime.

According to the Home Office British Crime Survey, home burglary offences recorded by the police in England and Wales dropped by 4% in the 12 months to September 2011, compared with the same period in the previous year.

That still added up to more than a 250,000 suffering a break in.

The place with the most home insurance claims for burglary is Leeds LS13 – the neighbourhoods of Bramley, Gamble Hill, Moorside, Rodley and Swinnow, with 34.8 claims per 1,000 enquiries, according to insurance industry figures.

London and West Yorkshire fared particularly poorly, taking nine places in the top 10.

The only other place to feature was Eccles, Manchester.

Insurers warn householders living in an area with high burglary rate will pay an average 20% more than those in a low crime area – and anyone with an expensive home can expect to pay even more.

Insurers look at crime figures for the entire postcode area rather than individual streets or neighbourhoods when pricing policies, so even homes that have not experienced crimes pay more.

Try controlling insurance costs by improving security. Secure locks on outside doors and windows are a must-have. Consider an alarm, particularly one that is monitored. Security lighting, hedges or fences that are difficult to climb and a guard dog are other options.

In themselves these measures won’t slash your premiums, but by making your home less vulnerable to a break-in you will help you avoid making a claim, which would definitely put your costs up.

For great deals on home insurance with a criminal record visit Quoteline Direct

Burglary Black Spots – January 2013

Source: Moneysupermarket.com

 

	Postcode	District	City	Number of theft claims per 1000 enquiries
1	LS13	Bramley, Gamble Hill, Moorside, Rodley, Swinnow	Leeds	34.8
2	BD12	Low Moor, Oakenshaw, Wyke	Bradford	34.2
3	N12	North Finchley, Woodside Park	London	31.9
4	M30	Eccles	Manchester	31.6
5	RM3	Harold Wood, Harold Hill, Noak Hill in Romford	London	30.9
6	SW12	Balham, Clapham South, Hyde Farm	London	30.1
7	LS18	Horsforth	Leeds	29.7
8	UB3	Hayes, Harlington	London	29.5
9	SE22	East Dulwich, Peckham Rye, Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill	London	29.1
10	LS28	Calverley, Farsley, Pudsey, Stanningley.	Leeds	28.4