The price comparison website analysed 3.5 million quotes run over 12 months as part of the MoneySupermarket Monitor on Home Insurance and found urban hotspots in these areas dominated the top 20 postcodes most likely to have made a claim for theft or burglary from their home or garden.
Hannah Jones, home insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said it did not necessarily mean these areas were rife with crime.
She said: “Thieves often specifically target areas with wealthy residents or quieter areas where there’s not a lot of passing foot traffic, where the rewards are potentially greater and the risk of being caught in the act may be lower.”
The research found the LS13 postcode in Leeds, made up of Bramley, Gamble Hill, Moorside, Rodley and Swinnow took the top spot overall followed by BD12 which covered Low Moor, Oakenshaw and Wyke in Bradford.
The suburb of North Finchley (N12) in London came third while Eccles in Manchester (M30) came in at number four.
At the other end of the scale homeowners in SA9 in Swansea, SA62 in Pembrokeshire and LA14 in Cumbria were among those least likely to have made a claim.
Further analysis of the impact on home insurance premiums showed that on average householders living in higher risk postcodes will pay a fifth more for their cover compared to the national average, or an extra £30 per policy annually.
Jones said: “Insurers take a blanket approach to assessing postcode districts for home insurance premiums rather than looking at insurance applications on a case by case basis.
“So although you may not have been a victim of burglary directly you could be paying more for insurance if there are higher rates of burglary claims made within your postal area.”
