Rushing from here to there, be it the school run, waking up late for work or suddenly realising you’ve got the time wrong for your dentist appointment: we’ve all had to tear out the house at one point or another without checking your home’s properly locked up and secure. But with 2025 already seeing an alarming 222,405 reported burglaries – with the highest in Kensington, Chelsea, Leeds and Middlesbrough – it’s never been more important to think about home security, to ensure you don’t potentially invalidate your contents insurance. Here, Homeprotect insurance expert David Joyson reveals exactly what mistakes we’remaking when it comes to securing our home.
WINDOWS
Leaving a window open was a top error for Brits when nipping out of the house to run an errand, like popping to the shop or doing the school run. Almost a third (29%) left the upstairs windows open – the most common for Gen X (33%), and female homeowners (32%). One in six homeowners (16%) also leave a downstairs window open, which could give burglars an easy route into their homes. Nearly a quarter of 25-34-year-olds (23%) report doing this, with women more likely to do so (18%).
As for location? Liverpudlians may be underestimating the will of an opportunistic burglar, as 40% say they leave an upstairs window open, while 24% say they don’t always shut them downstairs. But giving burglars free access to your home could mean making a valid insurance claim for theft much harder if there’s no sign of forced entry, which could result in being left footing the bill to replace what’s been taken.
DOORS
This isn’t the only risky behaviour identified in the survey, as one in five (20%) admit to not locking their front or back door when out, something both men and women are equally prone to doing, and is most common in 25-34-year-olds (24%). Homeowners living in the East of England are the most likely to do this, with 23% saying they forget to lock up. And those living in its biggest city, Norwich, are the most forgetful, with 35% admitting they don’t always lock up.
While not locking your front or back door is less than ideal, leaving a key in the door can signal to burglars that they can enter without breaking in. More than 12% of Brits have admitted to this, and people living in Sheffield are the most likely to make burglars feel more welcome than they should (19%).
ALARMS
Having a burglar alarm can be a good deterrent, but depending on your policy terms, if you don’t use it and you’re burgled, this could make it trickier for a theft claim to be accepted. According to the survey, one in 10 don’t always put their alarm on. This response is most common among 25-34-year-olds (17%), while men (12%) showed a slightly higher propensity to leave the alarm off than women (10%). People living in Northern Ireland have the highest tendency to forgo their burglar alarm when out on an errand, particularly those living in Belfast (25%). This is closely followed by Liverpool (18%) and Sheffield (15%).
“Opportunistic criminals will find the perfect moment to strike, and small lapses in security make it easier for them,” says David. “Unforced entry can have big consequences for your family’s safety. It could also mean it’s much harder for a claim to be accepted, because most home insurance policies state that there needs to be signs of forced entry to gain access to your home. With no evidence of entry, victims could be left unable to claim on their contents insurance, potentially resulting in them having to foot the bill. So, even if you’re just doing the school run or popping to the local shop, it pays to ensure your home is properly secured, and if you have a burglar alarm, it’s essential to put it on whenever the house is empty.”
