Comparing property prices in higher-risk and lower-risk areas using the latest ONS data shows that homes in safer areas are on average £46,500 higher, representing a 19.3% premium over the riskier locations.
Cash House Buyer Sell House Fast has revealed the safest places to buy and sell property, based on factors such as crime rates, flood risk, air pollution levels, road collision rates, and coastal erosion risk.
The top ten safest areas to buy property in the UK:
| Rank | Area | Recorded crime (per 1,000 people) | Flood risk (% of properties at high risk) | Air pollution level (PM2.5) | Road collisions (per billion vehicle miles) | Coastal erosion risk (% of properties at risk) | Overall risk score /10 |
| 1 | Rutland | 41.5 | 0.6% | 6.6 | 75 | 0.00% | 1.17 |
| 2 | Cheshire East | 60.3 | 1.1% | 6.4 | 191 | 0.00% | 1.85 |
| 3 | Shropshire | 48.9 | 2.7% | 5.5 | 178 | 0.00% | 1.87 |
| 4 | Telford and Wrekin | 75.1 | 1.2% | 6.2 | 136 | 0.00% | 1.99 |
| 5 | West Berkshire | 56.8 | 2.4% | 6.3 | 113 | 0.00% | 2.08 |
| 6 | Worcestershire | 65.0 | 2.5% | 6.0 | 150 | 0.00% | 2.16 |
| 7 | Buckinghamshire | 53.7 | 1.7% | 7.1 | 150 | 0.00% | 2.33 |
| 8 | Knowsley | 82.0 | 0.4% | 6.8 | 180 | 0.00% | 2.36 |
| 9 | Wiltshire | 48.4 | 2.4% | 6.0 | 235 | 0.00% | 2.38 |
| 10 | Gateshead | 90.2 | 0.4% | 6.0 | 229 | 0.00% | 2.42 |
Rutland, in the East Midlands, ranks as the safest place in the study, recording the fourth-lowest crime rate, at 41.5 crimes per 1,000 people.
Safety score is reflected in housing costs across the board. Housing costs in Rutland are higher across all measures than in the riskiest area, North East Lincolnshire.
- The average house price in Rutland is £313,000, compared with £148,000 in North East Lincolnshire.
- Average monthly rent stands at £963, versus £617.
- First-time buyers pay an average of £244,000 compared with £133,000.
- Mortgage buyers spend an average of £301,000 in Rutland, almost double the
£151,000 recorded in North East Lincolnshire.
The next two safest areas, Cheshire East and Shropshire, showed a similar pattern when compared with the next-ranked riskier destinations, Portsmouth and Southampton.
As of the latest ONS figures, house prices in Cheshire East cost £299,000 and in Shropshire £277,000, compared with £241,500 across the riskier areas of Portsmouth (£250,000) and Southampton (£233,000).
