Henley-in-Arden (B95), on the outskirts of Birmingham, is officially the UK’s top burglary claims hotspot, according to MoneySuperMarket’s annual Burglary Claims Tool.
The UK’s leading price comparison website analysed over 2.5 million home insurance quotes from the last two years (January 2017 to December 2018 inclusive) to identify the UK’s burglary hotspots, based on the highest and lowest rate of claims for home contents theft within a five-year period2.
The data reveals a 16 per cent national increase in rates of theft, with an average of 15.57 claims per 1,000 quotes in 2018, up from 13.42 in 2017.
Although consumer research3 reveals that one in five Brits (20 per cent) believe that they live in an area where properties are burgled more than the national average, almost half (44 per cent) haven’t taken any precautionary measures to protect their home, including installing burglar alarms, window locks or security cameras1.
The Birmingham postcode district, B95, has risen to the top of the rankings, with a rate of 50.46 claims per 1,000 quotes. Meanwhile, residents of last year’s top burglary hotspot, Guildford postcode district GU3, will be pleased to see it has fallen out of this year’s top 20 and now sits in 171st place. However, neighbouring Woking postcode district GU23 is a new entry into the top 20, in seventh place.
Another Birmingham postcode district, B94, also features in the top 20, with 45.80 claims per 1,000 quotes1. Despite many areas of Birmingham featuring heavily in the most burgled locations in the UK, just three per cent of residents say they feel unsafe when at home3.
The CM4 postcode district of Ingatestone, located just south of Chelmsford, has risen from 11th place last year to second in this year’s rankings4, with 49.76 claims per 1,000 quotes1. Despite an increase in the area, only three per cent of residents in the Chelmsford area feel unsafe in their home.
Highest postcode districts for contents claims on home insurance policies
| Rank | Postcode district | Post town | Contents theft rate (per 1000) * |
| 1 | B95 | Henley-in-Arden | 50.46 |
| 2 | CM4 | Ingatestone | 49.76 |
| 3 | IG5 | Ilford | 47.56 |
| 4 | EH4 | Edinburgh | 46.43 |
| 5 | LS8 | Leeds | 46.30 |
| 6 | B94 | Solihull | 45.80 |
| 7 | GU23 | Woking | 45.30 |
| 8 | SK8 | Cheadle | 45.29 |
| 9 | EH15 | Edinburgh | 43.99 |
| 10 | M21 | Manchester | 43.98 |
| 11 | CB5 | Cambridge | 43.48 |
| 12 | M20 | Manchester | 42.92 |
| 13 | BS7 | Bristol | 42.79 |
| 14 | RH8 | Oxted | 42.65 |
| 15 | SK4 | Stockport | 42.08 |
| 16 | L16 | Liverpool | 42.04 |
| 17 | LS17 | Leeds | 41.81 |
| 18 | BS9 | Bristol | 41.78 |
| 19 | TW11 | Teddington | 41.32 |
| 20 | IG9 | Buckhurst Hill | 41.28 |
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