42% of Brits don't lock doors and windows

Brits go to extraordinary lengths to avoid their home looking empty when left unattended. A new study conducted by security firm Yale reveals that over half of us keep a light on (52%), leave a television or radio on (28%) or ask a neighbour to park on the drive whilst we’re away (24%).

But, despite statistics showing that 58% of burglaries occur when someone is inside the property, the survey of 2,000 homeowners shows that nearly half (42%) don't lock doors and windows when they’re at home. Whilst homeowners are investing huge sums into moving to their perfect home, they are often not protecting it adequately, leaving it vulnerable to being targeted by opportunists.

CHANGING LOCKS NOT PRIORITISED

When moving to a new property, it’s not home security at the top of a homeowners’ to-do list. A third of Brits (33%) said the first thing they do when moving into a property is clean, with more homeowners choosing to make a cup of tea (15%) than change the locks in their new home (11%).

With the average Brit moving 1.4 times in the past 10 years, it’s not surprising that almost a third (32%) still have a key to one to their previous homes within that time. With many homeowners handing out spare keys, there could be numerous people who still have access to their new home, showing just how important it is to upgrade the locks when moving in.

The survey found that 65% of people haven’t upgraded their home security in the last two years, despite the fact this is a big factor for buyers looking to purchase a property.

NEW HOMEOWNERS TARGETED

When searching for a new home, 38% of people are looking for low crime stats in the area, followed by 24% wanting an alarm system and 22% after a door lock that meets standards required by some insurance companies.

Joanne Rush, Marketing Director at Yale UK: “Moving into a new home is stressful, with a long list of tasks to complete when you finally get the keys. But with new homeowners often targeted by opportunists, it’s essential to prioritise our home security. These days, security products are so easy to setup without the need for wiring or complicated installation.

“With more than half of Brits (51%) owning up to not having any smart security products in their home, and recent Home Office data citing nearly 268,000 burglaries from April 2020 to April 20213, improving your home security has never been more important.”