London, Leeds and Bradford Dominate UK Insurance Burglary Claim Hotspots

CHESTER, England, January 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• LS13 post code has the most burglary insurance claims
• London locations featured in 8 of the top 20 postcodes
• Households in high risk areas pay an average of 20 per cent more per year for cover

Homeowners in London, Leeds and Bradford are the most likely in the UK to make a claim for theft or burglary on their home insurance policy, and are paying 20 per cent more for their home insurance, according to analysis by MoneySupermarket. ^[1]

The UK's numberone placeto save money analysed 3.5 million home insurance quotes run on the site over 12 months as part of the MoneySupermarket Monitor on Home Insurance. Urban hotspots in London, Leeds and Bradford dominate the top 20 postcode districts most likely to have made a claim for theft or burglary from their home or garden.^[2]

The research found LS13 in Leeds, made up of Bramley, Gamble Hill, Moorside, Rodley and Swinnow, takes the top spot overall, followed by BD12 (Low Moor, Oakenshaw and Wyke) in Bradford. The suburb of North Finchley (N12) in London came third. Eccles in Manchester (M30) also featured in the top ten, coming in at number four, followed by Harold Wood, Harold Hill and Noak Hill in Romford (RM3) in fifth position.

At the other end of the scale, homeowners in SA9 in Swansea, SA62 in Pembrokeshire and LA14 in Cumbria are amongst those least likely to have made a claim.^[3]

Further analysis of the impact on home insurance premiums shows that on average, householders living in higher risk postcodes will pay a fifth more for their cover, compared to the national average - or an extra £30 per policy annually.

Hannah Jones, home insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: "While there are clearly some areas of the country with a higher proportion of insurance claims for burglary than others, this doesn't actually mean the area is "rife" with crime. Thieves often specifically target areas with wealthy residents, or quieter areas where there's not a lot of passing foot traffic, where the rewards are potentially greater and the risk of being caught in the act may be lower. This year, the LS13 postcode in Leeds has taken the top spot for burglary insurance claims.

"Areas affected by higher rates of burglary insurance claims will see their premiums impacted - increasing by a fifth on average. Higher value properties could expect to pay even more than this. Insurers take a blanket approach to assessing postcode districts for home insurance premiums rather than looking at insurance applications on a case by case basis. So, although you may not have been a victim of burglary directly, you could be paying more for insurance if there are higher rates of burglary claims made within your postal area. The key thing is not to simply accept your insurance renewal - even if you live in a postcode which has a higher claim rate for burglaries, you can still save a packet by doing your research and switching to a better deal online.

"No matter where your house is, homeowners should take precautions when it comes to security - keeping doors and windows locked when you're asleep or your home is unoccupied, installing timers on your lights and ensuring items of value are kept away from easy view through windows, are simple things that can reduce risk. Installing a suitable alarm system and having adequate locks on doors and windows could help bring your premium down, as well as increasing security. It's also 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 as opportunistic thieves could strike at any time."

Notes to editors:

^[1]MoneySupermarket Monitor on home insurance

3,493,586 million quotes run on the MoneySupermarket car insurance site between 1 December 2011 to 30 November 2012. Burglary figures are based on claims made in the last two years at the current address lived in.

^[2]The 20 UK postcode districts most likely to claim for theft on their home insurance

                                                      Number of
                                                     theft claims   Previous
        Postcode                                       per 1000     position
        District          Town         County / City  enquiries    (from top)

                  Bramley, Gamble
                  Hill, Moorside,
    1  LS13       Rodley, Swinnow         Leeds          34.8           5
                  Low Moor, Oakenshaw,
    2  BD12       Wyke                    Bradford       34.2          87
                  North Finchley,
    3  N12        Woodside Park           London         31.9         402
    4  M30        Eccles                  Manchester     31.6         946
                  Harold Wood, Harold
                  Hill, Noak Hill in
    5  RM3        Romford                 London         30.9         169
                  Balham, Clapham
    6  SW12       South, Hyde Farm        London         30.1         301
    7  LS18       Horsforth               Leeds          29.7         173
    8  UB3        Hayes, Harlington       London         29.5        1074
                  East Dulwich,
                  Peckham Rye,
                  Loughborough
    9  SE22       Junction, Herne Hill    London         29.1         199
                  Calverley, Farsley,
    10 LS28       Pudsey, Stanningley.    Leeds          28.4          89
                  Gants Hill, Newbury
    11 IG2        Park                    London         28.1          64
                  Hull, Dunswell,
    12 HU6        Orchard Park            Hull           27.8         133
                  Apperley Bridge,
                  parts of Eccleshill,
                  Greengates, Idle,
    13 BD10       Thackley                Bradford       27.7           2
    14 BD17       Baildon, Shipley        Bradford       27.3         367
                  Aberford, Ferry  
                  Fryston, Garforth,
                  Hillam, Kippax,
                  Ledsham,
                  Micklefield, Monk
                  Fryston,
    15 LS25       Sherburn-in-Elmet       Leeds          26.9         648
                  Hampton, South
    16 TW12       Hanworth                London         26.7         179
                  Saltaire, Shipley,
    17 BD18       Windhill, Wrose         Bradford       26.2           7
                  Streatham, Norbury,
                  Thornton Heath,
                  Streatham Park,
                  Furzedown, Streatham
                  Vale, Mitcham,
    18 SW16       Pollards Hill           London         26.1          10
                  Armley, Farnley, New
    19 LS12       Farnley, Wortley        Leeds          26.1          19
    20 BD6        Buttershaw, Wibsey      Bradford       25.3         115

^[3]The 20 UK postcode districts least likely to claim for theft on their home insurance

                                                              Number of
                                                             theft claims
        Postcode                                               per 1000
        District              Town            County / City   enquiries

                   Abercraf, Cwmllynfell,
                   Cwmtwrch, Lower Cwmtwrch,
                   Rhiwfawr, Upper Cwmtwrch,
    1  SA9         Ystalyfera, Ystradgynlais  Swansea            0.0
    2  SA62        Haverfordwest              Pembrokeshire      0.0
    3  LA14        Barrow-in-Furness          Cumbria            0.0
    4  TQ3         North Paington             Devon              0.0
    5  EX31        Barnstaple                 Devon              0.0
                   Forfar, Glamis and
    6  DD8         Kirriemuir                 Angus              0.0
    7  KY7         Glenrothes                 Fife               0.0
                   Ivybridge, Brownston,
                   Cornwood, Ermington,
    8  PL21        Modbury, Ugborough         Devon              0.0
                   Gorran Haven, Foxhole,
                   Mevagissey, St Dennis, St
    9  PL26        Ewe, Sticker in St Austell Cornwall           0.0
    10 NR29        Great Yarmouth             Norfolk            0.0
                   Aberdeen, Mastrick,
                   Northfield, Middlefield,
    11 AB16        Cornhill                   Aberdeen           0.0
    12 NR19        Dereham                    Norfolk            0.0
                   Pettywell, Reepham,
                   Hevingham, Stratton
                   Strawless, Horsham St
    13 NR10        Faith                      Norfolk            0.0
    14 TQ5         Brixham                    Devon              0.0
    15 NE7         High Heaton, Benton        Tyne & Wear        0.0
    16 CT21        Hythe                      Kent               0.0
    17 RH20        Pulborough                 Sussex             1.6
                   Bampton, Burford,
    18 OX18        Carterton                  Oxfordshire        1.7
    19 NE22        Bedlington                 Northumberland     1.8
    20 BA12        Warminster                 Wiltshire          1.9

MoneySupermarket.com compares (at 27^th Dec 2012)