60-second summary
Want to know how home security affects home insurance and how to keep your home safe in under a minute? Here’s our snapshot:
Burglaries are still a big problem for UK householders, with 240,000 break-ins reported in the UK and Wales in 2024.
One of the best ways to prevent burglaries – and potentially bring your insurance premiums down – is to improve your home security.
Insurance providers may offer lower premiums if you install a burglar alarm, improve your door and window locks, install a properly fitted safe or join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
You should also consider how secure your gardens and outbuildings are – these can be prime targets and entry points for thieves.
Although burglaries can’t always be prevented, making sure you’ve got adequate home contents insurance could give you peace of mind.
One of the easiest ways to get a good deal on your home insurance is to shop around and compare quotes.
How does home security affect insurance?
Home insurance providers may charge you less for your cover if you have measures in place to keep your home safe. These could include:
A working burglar alarm
CCTV or a smart home security system
Security lights
A properly fitted safe
Quality door and window locks.
Security features act as a deterrent to potential burglars. So, a home fitted with a burglar alarm, for example, is seen as less of a risk to insure. And that means your insurance provider is likely to offer you cheaper premiums. It’s also worth knowing that home insurance providers consider your postcode when quoting you for a policy. And, if you live in an area with a high crime rate, they may refuse to insure you without a working alarm system fitted.
Your insurance provider will also want to be sure your home security is up to the job if you’re requesting a high level of cover. This might be the case if you’ve got expensive jewellery, artwork or a top-of-the-range home entertainment system.
How to secure your home while you’re out
Here are our top tips for keeping your home secure.
1. Get an alarm, CCTV or smart security system
Monitored via an app, smart home security systems let you check in on who’s hanging around your home in real time.
Smart alarms can include features such as cameras, motion sensors and sirens that can trigger instant alerts to your phone. And they can be controlled remotely, too.
Wireless burglar alarms
Straightforward to install and operated by batteries, wireless burglar alarms can either be monitored by a security company or unmonitored.
They’re usually triggered by an external door or window being opened, or by an internal motion sensor, which sounds the alarm when an intruder enters.
Wired burglar alarms
Though a wired alarm system is trickier to install than a wireless system, it may be cheaper to run in the long-term. And they’re potentially more tamperproof.
Like wireless home security systems, a wired burglar alarm can be monitored or unmonitored. And, even if activity isn’t being tracked by a security team, the alarm could alert neighbours to a break-in and hopefully scare off a potential thief.
CCTV
CCTV cameras are placed in strategic locations round your home to capture a continuous sequence of images. These images are then transmitted to a recording device to be viewed either in real time or played back later.
As with burglar alarms, visible CCTV cameras are another security feature that can lower insurance premiums. This is because they act as an effective theft deterrent.
2. Improve your door and window locks
One of the simplest ways to deter a break-in is by making sure you have secure locks on all your windows and doors, especially those on the ground floor. And if your locks are outdated, it’s well worth modernising them. Thieves can become familiar with old-style locks and develop ways to tamper with them. So, talk to a locksmith to find out which type of door locks would be the best for your home. Or consider asking your home insurance provider which locks it recommends. Don’t forget about any patio or garage doors. Upgrade those locks if you need to and make sure they’re kept locked at all times. Also, consider adding hinge bolts to protect the outside of your doors from force. Contact the Master Locksmiths Association for advice, and be sure to let your insurance provider know if you change your locks, as it may reduce your premium.
3. Keep your keys safe
You may have top-of-the-range locks, but if you don’t keep your house keys safe, you won’t prevent a burglary. So, keep your keys out of sight – even when you’re at home.
If you need to leave a spare set of keys outside, don’t hide them under a rock or plant pot by the front door or in the garden. If a burglar finds your keys and uses them to break in, you may not be able to claim on your home insurance.
It's much better to invest in a key safe. Just make sure it’s one approved by your insurance provider. Alternatively, you could leave a spare set of keys with a trusted neighbour.
4. Invest in outbuilding and shed security
Many of the things we like to store in the shed or garage – think tools, bikes and sports gear – are targeted by thieves. In some cases, thieves may even raid your shed to find tools they will use to then break into your home. So, it’s absolutely vital to secure your outbuildings properly:
Get a decent padlock to secure your outbuildings and keep them locked when not in use.
Look for any weak spots that a thief might use to break in, such as windows and hinges. You could cover windows with wire mesh or grills to make them more secure.
Consider installing a battery-powered alarm that will sound a loud siren if the door is tampered with.
Store your tools inside a secured locker or box to further deter any thieves that do manage to break in.
Chain up your bike so it can’t be easily stolen by any thieves that make it inside.
The level of cover offered by home insurance policies for your shed and other outbuildings varies considerably between providers. If yours doesn’t meet your needs, consider buying additional cover or switching to a policy that offers more protection.
5. Secure your garden
Expensive garden furniture, hi-tech BBQs – even external oil tanks – are tempting to thieves. And even if there’s nothing worth stealing outdoors, gardens can offer thieves easy access to your home.
So, it’s worth installing padlocks on any rear or side gates. And it’s also a good idea to make sure any security cameras or outside lights you install cover your garden as well as your home. You could even think about tactical planting and landscaping to make your garden less accessible:
Keep your home as visible as possible at the front – rather than hidden behind high hedges and fences. The police recommend fencing and hedges of around a metre high in your front garden, so thieves have less to hide behind.
Secure the back of your home with taller fences, walls or hedges – to prevent easy access where burglars have more cover.
Plant prickly shrubs around your fence line – to act as a natural deterrent.
Add trellis and thorny plants to walls and fences – these make good anti-climb features.
Read our guide for more garden security tips.
6. Consider tactical lighting
Your home is at greater risk when you’re not around. But if you’ve got lights switching on and off at different times, this might make potential thieves think you’re at home.
Remote controlled lighting systems let you set timers for your lights to come on and off. With smart lighting systems you can even control your lights with an app on your phone.
Consider adding some security lights outside for when it gets dark in the evenings or early mornings. Motion sensor lights may help deter thieves without disturbing your neighbours.
7. Invest in a safe
If you’ve taken the above measures and a burglar still manages to break in, having your valuables locked in a safe could be your next line of defence.
The items most likely to be stolen in a burglary are wallets, purses, cash and cards, followed by jewellery and watches. These are all objects that can fit into a safe.
And if you’re thinking of getting a safe to lower your insurance costs, your insurance provider may stipulate that it’s securely fixed to the wall or floor. So, it’s a good idea to check your provider’s requirement first.
And whatever you do, don’t keep your valuables in your bedroom drawers. That’s the first place burglars will look
8. Hide your valuables
If you don’t have a safe, make sure your valuables are well hidden. The more creative you can be here the better as thieves will be familiar with the most common hiding places.
Also, make sure you haven’t left any valuable items on display when you go out. A laptop or tablet on the coffee table could be very tempting to the wrong eyes.
For added peace of mind, you can protect any valuables you take out and about with you with personal possessions cover.
9. Join Neighbourhood Watch
Join a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, or create your own if there isn’t one up and running. Over two million households across the UK are already involved.
Neighbourhood Watch schemes empower neighbours to create safer and more connected communities. They do this by collectively addressing concerns about local crime and anti-social behaviour, sharing knowledge and co-ordinating with local police.
Visit the Neighbourhood Watch Association to find a local scheme or get advice on setting up your own.
Joining a scheme could not only help keep your home safe – it might even get you a discount on your home insurance.
10. Don't post holiday pics on social media
These days, it’s almost impossible to avoid social media. But be careful about broadcasting your whereabouts if you have public accounts.
You never know who may be watching. And your posts could alert thieves to the fact that your home is empty. Wait until you get home before posting any holiday snaps.
11. Do a quick security checklist
If you’re going away, this quick checklist could help you keep your home safe:
Make sure all the locks on your home are in good working order – locks can degrade or warp over time and may need replacing.
Check that any security systems are working – burglar alarms need to be tested and serviced yearly by a professional. And security cameras can become dislodged or obscured by growing plants.
Check the locks on any outbuildings – and make sure any valuables stored inside them are secure.
Make sure cameras and any motion sensors are charged and working properly – and check any outdoor lights are fully functional.
Set any timers you have on your lights – making sure the timings mimic when you’d normally be home.
Cancel or divert any deliveries – boxes left on the doorstep can be a tell-tale sign for thieves. Royal Mail can hold onto your mail for up to 100 days for a fee, via its Keepsafe service.
As security systems become more advanced, so do burglars. So, it’s a good idea to keep on top of the latest home security trends and consider upgrading if you find a better solution.
You can read more in our guide to protecting your home while you’re away.
12. Get home insurance
One of the easiest ways to keep your home and contents safe from thieves is to make sure you’ve got adequate home insurance.
Contents insurance covers the cost of replacing your belongings if they’re stolen or damaged in a fire or flood. At Compare the Market, we make it easy to compare a range of quotes and find a deal that suits you.
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FAQs
What are British Standards Locks?
BS3621 locks meet The British Standards Institute (BSI) standards for being resistant to thieves.
Some home insurance providers will require you to have BS3621 locks installed in your home before they will insure you. Find out more about the insurance requirements for house locks.
How do digital door viewers work?
Smart doorbell cameras work by allowing you to see and communicate with whoever’s at your door before you open it. This is usually done through an app on your phone. You can use smart doorbells to assess whether you want to answer the door to whoever’s on the other side. You can also see who’s calling on you when you’re not at home.
Smart door cameras can record footage, either when the camera is triggered by the motion sensor or, in some cases, 24/7. This could be helpful in identifying criminals or reporting suspicious activity.
Can I claim for burglary on my home insurance if I left a door or window unlocked?
It’s unlikely you’ll be able to claim for burglary if it happened because you left a door or window open. Home insurance providers will normally want to see evidence of forced entry before paying out a claim for theft. So, make sure to lock all your doors and windows whenever you go out, even if you’re only popping out for a few minutes.
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As well as writing for Churchill and Privilege insurance websites, Karen’s CV includes working with M&S, Debenhams, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis. With over 20 years of editorial experience for big household names she leads a talented content team with a focus on simplifying personal finance for everybody.
Stephen Maunder is an experienced personal finance editor, having spent more than a decade working for consumer print and online titles. He won several industry awards for his personal finance features at Which?, before becoming Deputy Editor at Compare the Market.
Helen’s our resident home insurance expert, as the former Head of Home Insurance at Compare the Market. She's also experienced with car insurance and pet insurance from her previous roles across commercial, partnerships and as a freelance consultant, working with more than 100 insurers across a variety of insurance products.
Our content is written by a Compare the Market expert, backed by data and enhanced by technology. Find out how we ensure accuracy and quality in our Editorial Guidelines.