Reality of nation's unsafe homes exposed

12th September 2005

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

New research by Privilege Home Insurance reveals that people living in the UK have good old-fashioned double standards when it comes to keeping our homes safe and secure.

The findings reveal that a third of people who own or rent a home claim the safety of their home is very important to them and 61 per cent consider themselves to be safe homeowners. A further 40 per cent are confident that their home is as safe as it can be – all positive statements from an apparently secure nation.

But homeowners confidence is unfounded, it seems with reality painting a very different picture. Just over eight in 10 (82 per cent) say they always lock all doors and windows when they go out and less than six in 10 (54 per cent) always check that appliances are switched off every time they leave the house. Only four in 10 (41 per cent) say they would ask a tradesman for identification.

Less than two thirds (63 per cent) of homeowners and renters would have the locks changed if they lost their keys, and less than nine in 10 (86 per cent) know exactly how many people have keys to their home.

And we’re not much better with the very security devices which are meant to protect us, the survey shows. Less than a quarter (24 per cent) of those questioned have a burglar alarm and turn it on before they go out, under three quarters (73 per cent) and only half (52 per cent) say they always leave some lights on when away from home.

Despite the major gap between perceptions and reality about household security, almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) of those quizzed believe that homeowners that do take safety precautions seriously, such as fitting locks, alarms, and other measures should pay lower insurance premiums. In contrast, a surprising and worrying finding reveals that only eight in ten (83 per cent) 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 home insurance for four years qualify for our guarantee to beat their home insurance renewal quote, so could be saving money immediately.”

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

For a competitive Privilege quote, telephone 0845 246 8336 or visit www.privilege.com

Max call charge from a BT landline is 3p per minute. Calls from other networks may vary.