The unluckiest homes in Britain

Does your house number have any bearing on your property's risk of fire, flooding or burglary?

If your home is your castle you have probably spent time and effort getting it just the way you want it.

The idea of that being shattered by an event like a fire, flooding or a burglary is unthinkable to many of us. Quite apart from the obvious worries over our family’s safety, catastrophes affecting our homes can have an enormous emotional and financial impact.

It makes sense to do all you can to protect your property, and to cover yourself should the worst happen. But has it ever occurred to you that some house numbers are just luckier than others?

Lucky number seven?

Yes, I know that sounds rather ridiculous and please don’t shoot the messenger, but the clever chaps and chappesses at insurance giant AXA have worked out which house numbers are the most and least unlucky by analysing home insurance claims made.

Received wisdom tells us that seven is a lucky number and 13 unlucky for some. Indeed, the insurer’s research revealed that 12% of people would be put off buying a house numbered 13 while 6% would look for a house number seven or their own particular lucky number. Who are these people and what are their other priorities when buying a property?

Anyway, they’re wrong. AXA reckons that if you live at number 33 you are the most unlucky, since this house number has the worst record in terms of burglaries, fires and flooding.

You can feel rather more smug if you reside in number 76, apparently the luckiest house number.

It has even produced a helpful list of the top 10 lucky and unlucky house numbers – clearly, essential reading if you are looking to buy!

Top 10 unlucky house numbers

1. 33
2. 34
3. 86
4. 22
5. 92
6. 94
7. 55
8. 65
9. 84
10.= 36
10.= 96

Top 10 lucky house numbers

1. 76
2. 81
3. 47
4. 75
5.= 89
5.= 90
7. 78
8. 63
9. 79
10. 17

Silly as it may seem, insurers do analyse other statistics to measure risk, although I guess this takes the concept just a step too far.

What AXA is really highlighting, of course, is the need to protect your property as far as possible, and to ensure you are fully covered should an even happen that you have no control over.

Make your own luck

According to the insurer, many of the claims it sees are not so much down to bad luck as bad risk management by the owner, such as poor security or bad maintenance.

Related goal

Slash your insurance costs

If you’re feeling the pinch, these ways of saving money on your insurance will help.

Do this goal

As with most problems in life, prevention is so much better than cure when it comes to looking after your property, and so much cheaper too. Here’s some tips to get you started:

Secure your home:

Walk around your home and imagine it though the eyes of a thief . Is the back of the house secluded enough for someone to break in without being noticed? Do you have an intruder light at the front and back? Fit window locks to all your windows, or at the very least the downstairs ones -- and use them. Get a working alarm and get into the habit of using it every day, and every night. Finally don’t forget the contents of your shed could add up to hundreds of pounds -- get a secure lock on it. The Crimestoppers website - www.crimestoppers-uk.org/ -- is a great source of tips on preventing burglary.

Fire safety:

Smoke alarms are so cheap there is really no excuse not to have at least two in your home -- one upstairs and one downstairs, and test them weekly. More than half of accidental house fires start when cooking so take extra care and never leave hot oil unattended on a hob. Of course, if you’re a smoker make sure all cigarettes or cigars are fully extinguished, especially before you go to bed. Same goes for candles. The Government’s Fire Kills website is well worth a look -- http://firekills.direct.gov.uk/index.html.

Flood protection:

If you live in a property that is susceptible to flooding you are probably already aware of it, and know that you can never truly make your home flood proof. But you can take some measures to prevent water getting in, or limit the damage to your home if does. These include installing purpose-built flood boards and tanking for example, as well as raising door thresholds. Buy covers for ventilation bricks and fit non return valves to drains. You might want to consider tiled floors with rugs rather than carpets. The Environment Agency -- www.environment-agency.gov.uk -- has some really useful information on protecting your home from flooding.

Ensure you insure

But with the best will in the world you can never fully protect your home, which is why home insurance is so vital. Knowing you are fully covered during a difficult time can help many people get through such an emotional and challenging period.

This makes getting the right cover essential to ensure you are fully protected if you the worst does happen:

1. Shop around for the best home insurance deal but don’t go on price alone. Make sure you read the policy details thoroughly to understand exactly what you are, and are not, covered for.

2. Consider buying a joint buildings and contents policy. They can sometimes be cheaper than buying the two separately but not always, so check out both options.

3. By implementing some of the measures mentioned above, such as fitting an alarm or high quality locks you can reduce your premiums.

4. If your property is in a high flood risk area you will pay more for home cover and may be better off going with a specialist provider.

5. Finally and most importantly, check you are not underinsured. We accumulate possessions over time and you may need to increase your home insurance cover, so review the value of your contents once a year. Plus check the rebuild cost for your home at The Building Cost Information Service -- www.bcis.co.uk -- especially if you have lived in your home for a long time, as it could have increased since you first took out home cover. The consequences of underinsuring could be disastrous. For example, if you are covered for £60,000 and the rebuild cost is really £120,000, your insurer could deem you to be underinsured by 50%, and will only pay out a maximum of 50% of any claims.

Remember, at lovemoney.com, you can compare home insurance deals from across the market and get a tailored quote for your needs. Find out more.

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