Burglary hotspots, home insurance claims, and the cost of living in a 'Warren': Property news

A rundown of the latest property statistics

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A 'street' or a 'chase'

Zoopla's analysis of addresses suggests that the highest-value properties in the country are to be found on a “Warren”, where the average house price is £607,267. The second most expensive are on a “Chase” (£482,867), followed by “Mount” (£390,500). The least expensive properties are on the common “Street” (£184,722).

Insurance claims

New analysis of 1.8 million claims on home insurance policies shows that four out of five policyholders who claimed received a payout. The report from the Association of British Insurers reveals the main reasons for a claim failing were: wear and tear/damage caused by a lack of maintenance which are not insurable; the claim value being below the policy excess; and not having bought the right cover.

You've got bills

Bill payers underestimated their main by an average of £1,459 last year, according to Santander. A third added that they can only just make ends meet, while one in four borrowed or used savings to pay their bills. Nearly a third admit they do not read their statements thoroughly – 5 per cent don't even open them.

Burglary hotspots

South Tulse Hill and Dulwich postal district SE21 is the number one in claims for theft, says MoneySuperMarket. Outside London, West Bromwich (B70) tops the list, followed by Hawksworth and Kirkstall in Leeds (LS5) and Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester (M21). Harbury, near Leamington Spa (CV33) has the lowest figure.

Housing supply

The supply of available housing has almost halved in 10 years, according to the National Association of Estate Agents. Its latest report indicates that the average number of properties available per member branch in December 2015 was 37, compared to 72 in December 2005.

New homes

The number of new homes registered to be built in the UK in 2015 was 156,140, says the National House Building Council, compared to 146,359 in 2014.

Location…

Location is still the main attraction for househunters, according to a My Home Move poll, with the price of a property ranked as the second most important feature and a nice garden in third – a poor location was named the biggest turn-off.

Average deposit

The average house purchase deposit is over £80,000 for the first time, according to the Mortgage Advice Bureau, up 15 per cent annually to reach £81,721 in December.

Rent rises

Rents across England and Wales rose by 3.4 per cent over 2015 to an average of £794 a month, according to Your Move. In December, the largest monthly fall in rents was in London, down 1.6 per cent on November.