Brits forego crime reporting to protect property values

British homeowners are often too frightened to report a crime in their neighbourhood because of concerns about the impact doing so will have on the value of property in their area.

New research from Direct Line Home Insurance shows just how important the value of our property is to us as 8% of adults who have been a victim of crime or witnessed a crime have not reported it because they are worried it will devalue their property or make it more difficult to rent by showing up on an online police crime map.

A further 9%, equivalent to 4.5m Brits, would consider not reporting a crime, or would discourage their neighbours from doing so in case it showed up on an online crime map.

People living in larger cities tend to be the most likely to turn a blind eye with 15% of those living in Newcastle the least likely to report a crime for this reason, followed by Birmingham on 13%, London 11% and Glasgow 10%.

Half of UK adults, 49%, would research what the crime statistics are in an area they are thinking of moving to, before committing to buying or renting a property in that neighbourhood. 24m or 47% of people would refuse to live in a high crime neighbourhood, which, the research shows, could include areas normally seen as highly desirable such as Knightsbridge and Belgravia in London.

In terms of the crimes themselves, anti-social behaviour is the most common crime that people would consider not reporting on 33%, followed by vehicle crime, 25% and burglary and/or shoplifting at 24%.

Rebecca Clapham, head of household products at Direct Line: “We are a nation obsessed with property and this has even filtered through to how we report crime with some homeowners concerned about doing anything that could devalue their home.

“It’s frightening that people are turning a blind eye to crime with some going unreported as a result. People need to remember that the purpose of a crime map is to analyse crime to help law enforcement and to evaluate crime prevention strategies, not to devalue a property.

“Our homes contain some of our most prized possessions and so it’s important to make sure they are properly protected. It’s concerning that burglary is one of the top three unreported crimes, especially as you need a crime reference number during the claims process when the loss or damage is as a result of a crime. If you haven’t reported the crime you won’t be able to have this and you may find your claim is rejected.”

Over a third, 36% of respondents, said they would insist on paying less for a property if it was in a high crime area. A similar amount, 35%, would insist on paying less rent.