"Unfortunately for many, the cost of getting on the ladder means they don’t have the luxury of considering crime rates when looking to buy"
And after the number were crunched, Rutland in the East Midlands emerged as the best place to buy property for these reasons.
With safety often coming with a high price tag, Emoov analysed both crime statistics and house price data to highlight where offers the best blend of low crime and affordability.
Property values across the Midlands are still relatively affordable despite both the East and West Midlands seeing strong price growth over the last year, and so areas like Rutland are attractive to potential property buyers looking to live in a low crime area and still stay within budget.
Joining Rutland are a number of areas across the UK where property owners can pay a reasonable price and also have low crime rates. These include West Somerset, Eden, Ryedale, Richmondshire and Purbeck.
On the other side of the coin, the majority of the areas with the worst balance of unaffordable property values and high crime levels are in larger urban centres. Outside of London, The City of Bristol tops the list, followed by Brighton and Hove, Wiltshire, Cambridge and Leeds.
It’s not surprising that London has the most expensive property values and highest crime rates. But within the capital, potential property buyers should look to Sutton, where property prices are below London’s average at £384,902 and crime levels are -110% below the capital’s average.
Although the City of London itself does rank higher than Sutton, the average price tag is an eye watering £768,751.
The City of Westminster and Camden are among the worst for unaffordability and high crime levels.
How it was done
Emoov looked at all crimes reported with a location across England and Wales in 2017, then looked at the percentage difference between each area and the average number of crimes in England and Wales in 2017 (19,826).
They also looked at the percentage difference for property prices in each area when compared to the average in England and Wales.
Finally, Emoov combined the two percentages to give each area a percentage score and
ranked them based on this. The lower the score the better, indicating a safer place to live at a more affordable price. The higher the score, the higher the crime and unaffordability of property.
Russell Quirk, founder and CEO of Emoov.co.uk, had this to say: “There is of course, a direct correlation between the amount of crime in an area and the price home buyers are willing to pay to live there.
Unfortunately for many, the cost of getting on the ladder means they don’t have the luxury of considering crime rates when looking to buy, while city living also remains popular despite a higher tendency for crime in more populated urban environments.
That said, the good news is that there are a number of areas across England and Wales with affordable price tags and a lower propensity for crime. As always, doing your research is key during the property buying process and can really help refine your search even before you reach the likes of Rightmove and Zoopla.”
