The top 10 ASBO towns!

Thanks to a new iPhone application, you can check up on just how dodgy your new neighbours might be...

A new iPhone application has been launched, allowing users to check how likely it is that their next door neighbours will have an Anti-Social Behavioural Order (ASBO).

So not only can you use your iPhone to do your weekly shop and pay your bills, you can now also research just what sort of neighbourhood you might be moving into. The ASBOrometer uses data from the Home Office on where and when ASBOs are issued. As a result, you can check just how many ASBOs were issued in your town in the quarter.

Excitingly, you can even get information on just how many crack houses were closed in the local area.

The application can then rank the towns based on how many locals believe anti-social behaviour is a problem in that area.

Top of the ASBO pops

So without further ado, here are the top ten worst ASBO towns.

	Town	Percentage that consider anti-social behaviour a problem
1	Newham (London)	47.9%
2	Tower Hamlets (London)	45.9%
3	Barking & Dagenham (London)	39.1%
4	Hackney (London)	37.6%
5	Waltham Forest (London)	36.5%
6	Rochdale (North West)	35.7%
7	Slough (South East)	35.2%
8	Ashfield (East Midlands)	34.8%
9	Sandwell (West Midlands)	34.1%
10	Manchester (North West)	34%

Now, in all honesty, I’m a little embarrassed by these results, not least because I was born and raised in Barking & Dagenham and my grandfather was once the mayor of Newham (it was much nicer then, honest).

Indeed, London (or at least, the bits where I grew up!) doesn’t come across too well based on the top 10.

What to consider when buying a house

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Of course, tools like this are a lot of fun, but they do highlight the things we should all be thinking about before moving. It’s not just ASBOs in the local area that you should be researching before you sign up to buy or rent a property.

If you have a young family (or plan to start one), then you might want to consider the local schools. If you won’t be working locally, you’ll want to consider your commute – how good are the transport links?

What about parks, and local areas of beauty? Are there decent patches of greenery, trees and plants, or are you surrounded by a big grey mass of buildings?

And, perhaps most importantly, what are the neighbours like? Is there much crime in the area? Will you feel safe being out and about after dark?

What affects the asking price of a property?

All of these factors play a part in how desirable an area is, and by extension, how much property in that area is likely to fetch. It’s not an exact science, as any conversation with an estate agent will tell you, but all of these factors will dictate the asking price, or monthly rent, that you will have to hand over to get the keys.

John Fitzsimons looks at some simple ways to boost the value of your home.

For example, research at the beginning of the year by Nationwide found that living near a top-performing primary school could boost your home’s value by £20,000 compared to an identical home near to an under-performing school.

Similarly, a study last year by LV= suggested that living near a dilapidated home can knock a tenth off the property’s value, while noisy neighbours could slash up to £18,000 off its price.

One great site that I like to use is Upmystreet.com. Enter the postcode or street name that you want to research, and you will be presented with all sorts of data, from crime levels (including the types of crime) to council tax for the relevant town. Obviously it can’t give you the exact figures for an individual street, but checking out the information for the surrounding area is a pretty good start.

Upmystreet.com isn’t the only vital website though. These 10 websites should be at the very top of your favourites list if you are planning on moving any time soon. I’d also advise having a read of Boost your property’s value by £20,000.

Watch this video: 3 ways to boost your home’s value

What NOT to do

That’s what to look out for, but just as important is the way that we look at the property. Many of us make daft mistakes which affect the way we view a property, whether we are planning to rent or buy it, which stops us from making a truly educated decision.

Things like arriving late for an appointment, or even always viewing the property at the same time of day can distort your image of the property and lead to some bad decisions. Check out The 12 biggest property blunders for a conclusive list of the worst mistakes you can make!

And remember, if you're looking for a new mortgage, at lovemoney.com, you can research all the best deals yourself using our online mortgage service, or speak directly to a whole-of-market, fee-free lovemoney.com broker. Call 0800 804 4045 or email mortgages@lovemoney.com for more help.

More: House prices grinding to a halt | Pay just 1.99% on your mortgage!