New research suggests that sheds and garages are a bit of a magnet for burglars;
comparethemarket.com reveals that one in four garages (27%) have been broken into, along with 16% of UK sheds. Tools, garden furniture, miscellaneous items and bicycle/bicycle parts are the items most commonly stolen from these ‘non-connected buildings’. Almost 20% of thefts from non-connected buildings involve over £1,000 worth of items being stolen.
Value of contents kept in sheds and garages across the UK:
|
Under £1,000 |
£1,000 – £5,000 |
£5,000 – £10,000 |
£10,000 – £15,000 |
Above £15,000 |
|
|
Garage |
33% |
36% |
18% |
5% |
8% |
|
Shed |
61% |
29% |
6% |
2% |
2% |
Non-connected buildings are most likely to be burgled on weekdays between midnight and 6am. Burglary figures from the past 10 years reveal the most common time to be burgled is on a weekday (68%) between midnight and 6am (41%). Tools and work materials are the most commonly stolen items in non-connected building burglaries
Tools and work materials are revealed as the most commonly stolen items in non-connected building burglaries (39%). In second place, garden furniture was stolen in 31% of burglaries, while miscellaneous items and bicycle/bicycle parts take third place, being stolen in 12% of burglaries.
The top five most stolen items
|
Rank |
Item |
Percentage of incidents where item is stolen |
|
1 |
Tools and work materials |
39% |
|
2 |
Garden furniture |
31% |
|
3 |
Miscellaneous items and bicycles / bicycle parts |
12% |
|
4 |
Sports equipment |
10% |
|
5 |
Food/toiletries/cigarettes |
7% |
19% of garage owners and 24% of shed owners admit to not taking security measures to prevent burglary, potentially invalidating any insurance.
The most commonly used measures to deter theft include additional locks (49% shed /40% garage), automatic lighting (24%/29%), alarms (19%) for garages and CCTV (15%) for sheds. However, comparethemarket.com reveals that 18% of people don’t have the right level of home insurance to cover their garages and sheds and 29% of those with insurance don’t know how much they’re covered for.
Chris King, head of home insurance at Comparethemarket.com explains “It’s important to be aware of exactly what’s covered by your home insurance policy when it comes to non-connected buildings as not all provides cover theses buildings as standard”
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