Are you in a burglary hotspot?

According to research from moneysupermarket.com, homes in London and Nottingham are the most likely places to make a claim for theft or burglary on their home insurance.

With the UK in recession, opportunistic thieves and burglars are likely to be more prevalent so it is vital to be vigilant and ensure your homes are secure.

It is equally critical to make sure you have good home insurance, with appropriate cover for your contents, just in case you do need to make a claim.

With so many providers , it’s useful to compare home insurance using a comparison website such as Confused.com, moneysupermarket.com or Gocompare.com.

These enable you to quickly and easily see what cover is offered at what price, enabling you to select the best policy for your needs.

The top postcode districts most likely to claim for theft or burglary on their home insurance include

• NG5 – Arnold, Nottinghamshire
• LE3 – Leicester, Leicestershire
• NG2 – West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
• CH66 – Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
• LS8 – Roundhay, Leeds
• SW11 – Clapham, London
• s8 – Sheffield, South Yorkshire
• N8 – Hornsey, London
• CR0 – Croyden, Surrey
• BN3 – Hove, East Sussex

As Julie Owens, head of home insurance at moneysupermarket.com, points out ‘Properties classified as being in a ‘high-risk’ area – whether that be for crime, or something like flooding or subsidence, could mean the price of your insurance premiums will be affected.

Unfortunately there is no escaping this and to make matters more complicated, there are no hard and fast rules which apply. Most insurers have a blanket approach when it comes to assessing postcode districts for home insurance and this really needs to change.

If houses are evaluated on a case by case basis it would mean homeowners received quotes at the best possible prices for their individual circumstances.’

Unfortunately, as much as this is desirable, it’s not likely to be implemented, at least in the short term.