Research from leading For Sale by Owner empowerment platform, OkayLah.co.uk, has looked at where offers the best buy for those looking for the perfect balance of affordability and low crime rates.
OkayLah.co.uk looked at the total crime per capita (crime committed per 100 people) across each council region of the nation, comparing this to the average house price and scoring each area with an index score based on the mix of the two.
England
The research shows that North Kesteven is the best buy with an average house price of £208,230 and just five crimes committed for everyone 100 people living there scoring 1041.
Broadland, Eden, Staffordshire and Bolsover also ranked highly for property affordability and low crime rates.
Copeland, Hillingdon, Richmondshire, North East Derbyshire and Forest of Dean also make the top 10 with Hillingdon the only London area to do so.
Despite a fairly low level of crime, the City of London’s vastly smaller population and average house price of £1.1m, means it scores as the worst place to buy in England. In fact, the top four worst are all located in the capital, with Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Camden all scoring poorly.
Unfortunately for Cambridge an average house price of £535,571 and a crime rate of 13 crimes for every 100 people means the area ranked as the worst place to buy in England outside of London, with a score of 6962.
South Bucks, Watford, Hammersmith and Fulham, Elmbridge and Epping Forest also rank poorly to complete the top 10 worst.
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London
As already mentioned, with just three crimes committed for every 100 people and a fairly reasonable average house price of £441,563 (by London standards anyway), Hillingdon is the capital’s best buy for a mix of affordable housing and low crime rates.
Harrow, Barking and Dagenham, Bexley and Havering also rank highly, with Sutton, Hounslow, Croydon, Lewisham and Ealing also making the top 10.
In addition to the City of London, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden and Hammersmith and Fulham, who all place as the worst in England, Islington, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Haringey and Hackney complete the top 10 worst in London.
Founder and CEO of OkayLah.co.uk, Paul Telford said, “While price is always one of the initial criteria when deciding where to buy, the safety of an area is right up there in the decision-making process, particularly for those either starting or already with a young family.
“Unfortunately, affordability and low crime levels rarely go hand in hand, but as always, by doing your research you can find a compromise that will provide a certain degree of both.
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“We recommend looking at crime statistics, reading back through local news, visiting an area at different times of day and even talking to the neighbours or other locals, to ascertain a more granular view of where you might like to buy.
“But as with most things, crime is an unfortunate part of our society and the level of crime in an area shouldn’t be the only or deciding factor on buying that dream house.”
| Top 10 best place to buy in England | |||||
| District Council | Population | Total Crime | Crime Per Capita (100 people) | Avg House Price | Index Score |
| North Kesteven District Council | 107523 | 5099 | 5 | £208,230 | 1041 |
| Broadland District Council | 125005 | 5341 | 4 | £271,318 | 1085 |
| Eden District Council | 52486 | 2870 | 5 | £222,254 | 1111 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands District Council | 97155 | 5783 | 6 | £185,742 | 1114 |
| Bolsover District Council | 75721 | 6278 | 8 | £140,513 | 1124 |
| Copeland Borough Council | 70583 | 5550 | 8 | £142,028 | 1136 |
| Hillingdon Borough Council | 273216 | 7148 | 3 | £441,563 | 1155 |
| Richmondshire District Council | 51980 | 2470 | 5 | £232,764 | 1164 |
| North East Derbyshire District Council | 99050 | 5575 | 6 | £206,259 | 1238 |
| Forest of Dean District Council | 81887 | 4482 | 5 | £251,841 | 1259 |
| Top 10 best place to buy in London | |||||
| District Council | Population | Total Crime | Crime Per Capita (100 people) | Avg House Price | Index Score |
| Hillingdon Borough Council | 273216 | 7148 | 3 | £441,563 | 1155 |
| Harrow Borough Council | 238060 | 6404 | 3 | £501,879 | 1350 |
| Barking and Dagenham Borough Council | 185621 | 8726 | 5 | £306,386 | 1440 |
| Bexley Borough Council | 231507 | 9654 | 4 | £362,087 | 1510 |
| Havering Borough Council | 237104 | 9532 | 4 | £387,104 | 1556 |
| Sutton Borough Council | 190191 | 7228 | 4 | £423,052 | 1608 |
| Hounslow Borough Council | 253116 | 8099 | 3 | £528,542 | 1691 |
| Croydon Borough Council | 362520 | 14992 | 4 | £415,253 | 1717 |
| Lewisham Borough Council | 275883 | 10905 | 4 | £456,927 | 1806 |
| Ealing Borough Council | 338548 | 11326 | 3 | £558,028 | 1867 |
| Top 10 worst place to buy in London | |||||
| District Council | Population | Total Crime | Crime Per Capita (100 people) | Avg House Price | Index Score |
| City of London Corporation | 7288 | 3997 | 55 | £1,173,143 | 64339 |
| Westminster City Council | 218318 | 26718 | 12 | £1,858,676 | 22747 |
| Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council | 158959 | 10384 | 7 | £2,325,612 | 15192 |
| Camden Borough Council | 220121 | 15525 | 7 | £1,119,518 | 7896 |
| Cambridge City Council | 123402 | 15636 | 13 | £535,571 | 6962 |
| South Bucks District Council | 66758 | 5147 | 8 | £755,923 | 6047 |
| Watford Borough Council | 89682 | 11392 | 13 | £445,472 | 5791 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council | 181551 | 10198 | 6 | £989,128 | 5556 |
| Elmbridge Borough Council | 130560 | 9150 | 7 | £773,419 | 5414 |
| Epping Forest District Council | 124372 | 12806 | 10 | £533,322 | 5333 |
| Top 10 Worst Place to Buy in England Exc London | |||||
| District Council | Population | Total Crime | Crime Per Capita (100 people) | Avg House Price | Index Score |
| Cambridge City Council | 123402 | 15636 | 13 | £535,571 | 6962 |
| South Bucks District Council | 66758 | 5147 | 8 | £755,923 | 6047 |
| Watford Borough Council | 89682 | 11392 | 13 | £445,472 | 5791 |
| Elmbridge Borough Council | 130560 | 9150 | 7 | £773,419 | 5414 |
| Epping Forest District Council | 124372 | 12806 | 10 | £533,322 | 5333 |
| Oxford City Council | 151303 | 15775 | 10 | £507,364 | 5074 |
| Hertsmere Borough Council | 99952 | 9316 | 9 | £562,284 | 5061 |
| Epsom and Ewell Borough Council | 74654 | 6413 | 9 | £517,935 | 4661 |
| Brentwood Borough Council | 73477 | 6374 | 9 | £509,790 | 4588 |
| Dacorum Borough Council | 144497 | 13926 | 10 | £447,184 | 447 |
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