Top ten home security lapses revealed

27th September 2005

Perceptions of Brits as a nation of security conscious homeowners are trounced today.

New research by Privilege Home Insurance reveals that while three quarters (75 per cent) of people who own or rent a home claim the safety of their home is very important to them and four in 10 are confident that their home is as safe as it can be, their behaviour suggests otherwise.

The Privilege research reveals British homeowners’ top ten safety and security lapses are:

• Over three quarters (76 per cent) don’t have a burglar alarm or have one but don’t always turn it on before they go out;
• Six in 10 (59 per cent) don’t always ask a tradesman for identification;
• Almost half (48 per cent) don’t bother leaving a light on when away from home;
• Over four in 10 (46 per cent) don’t always check that appliances are switched off every time they leave the house; 
• Just over a third (37 per cent)  would not bother to have the locks changed if they lost their keys; 
• 27 per cent leave spare keys outside their house e.g. under a mat;
• Over a quarter (27 per cent) do not possess a smoke alarm and those that do, don’t check it regularly;
• Almost a quarter (23 per cent) smoke in their home or allow others to;
• Nearly one in five (18 per cent) say they don’t always lock all their doors and windows when they go out;
• One in six (14 per cent) have no idea how many people have keys to their home.

Despite the major gap between perceptions and reality around household safety and security, almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) of those quizzed believe that homeowners that take safety precautions seriously, such as fitting locks, alarms and other measures should pay lower insurance premiums. However, a surprising and worrying finding reveals that one in five (17 per cent) do not have a home insurance policy.

Ian Parker, Managing Director of Privilege Home Insurance says:
"The gap between people’s perceptions about safety consciousness and the reality is considerable. It seems that many of us are convinced that our homes are safe and yet we are not taking the necessary precautions to keep our homes secure.

"We want to remind people of some simple steps to take to ensure their homes are protected. Our research reveals that many people still don’t have home insurance, but the good news is that the 76 per cent of those quizzed that have not claimed on their policy for four years could be saving money immediately as they qualify for our guarantee to beat home insurance renewal quotes for those with four or more claim-free years.,.”

To ensure people keep their homes as safe and secure as possible, Privilege Home Insurance has created a simple ‘Don’t leave home without…’ checklist.

Don’t leave home without:

• Checking all doors and windows are closed and locked 
• Switching on the security alarm, if you have one
• Checking all gas and electrical appliances are switched off and not left on standby
• Placing valuables in a safe place
• Ensuring fires and candles are extinguished

Notes to editor 
This news story applies to the UK.

The research was conducted between 26th and 30th August 2005. YouGov interviewed a sample of 2763 individuals in the UK. The survey was carried out online. Results were weighted to be representative of the known profile of population from the 2001 Census.