UK's Safest and Least Secure Rental Hotspots
Rental property crime UK data doesn’t show a simple link between the number of rented homes in an area and its burglary rate. Comparing private rental levels with local crime figures reveals a more mixed picture, with some major rental markets recording lower burglary rates than you might expect.
This piece puts UK government housing data alongside police-recorded burglary figures to see where renters are most exposed, and where the numbers tell a different story. It also looks at whether rented homes are actually burgled more often than owner-occupied properties, plus the security standards landlords are legally required to meet.
For renters, that local detail can be far more useful than a national average. It gives you a clearer picture of the area you live in now, or the one you’re thinking about moving to.
Estimated reading time 5 minutes
In This Article
Is Crime in Rented Homes More Common Than in Owned Ones?
Yes, and by a wide margin. Research from Nottingham Trent University's Quantitative and Spatial Criminology Research Group found that private renters face a 63% higher burglary risk than owner occupiers, based on modelling of Crime Survey for England and Wales data. Renters and their neighbours also experience up to 86% more household crime overall in urban areas specifically, depending on where they live.
Part of the reason is security spend, not tenure alone. The same research found privately rented housing is 77% less likely to have the full "WIDE" combination of basic security in place than owner-occupied homes: window locks, internal lights, door double or deadlocks, and external lights. Renters don't own the locks on their own front door, and depend on a landlord to fit and maintain them.
Where Private Renting Is Most Common in the UK
The most reliable measure of where private renting concentrates is the proportion of local housing stock that's privately rented, published annually by the ONS. In 2023, privately rented homes made up 20.8% of dwellings in England overall.
Here's how the ten highest-renting areas in England compare:
| Area | Private rental share (2023) |
|---|---|
| City of London | 51.8% |
| Westminster | 47.9% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 42.8% |
| Newham | 41.1% |
| Tower Hamlets | 41.0% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 38.1% |
| Camden | 36.9% |
| Hackney | 33.5% |
| Brighton and Hove | 33.2% |
| Manchester | 33.2% |
Area
City of London
Private rental share (2023)
51.8%
Area
Westminster
Private rental share (2023)
47.9%
Area
Kensington and Chelsea
Private rental share (2023)
42.8%
Area
Newham
Private rental share (2023)
41.1%
Area
Tower Hamlets
Private rental share (2023)
41.0%
Area
Hammersmith and Fulham
Private rental share (2023)
38.1%
Area
Camden
Private rental share (2023)
36.9%
Area
Hackney
Private rental share (2023)
33.5%
Area
Brighton and Hove
Private rental share (2023)
33.2%
Area
Manchester
Private rental share (2023)
33.2%
“
Every one of the top eight is an Inner London borough. Brighton and Hove and Manchester are the only places outside London that come close, both landing just under Hackney's rate and well above the English average.
”The UK's Riskiest Area for Rental Property Crime
Cross-referencing that rental data against burglary rates turns up one area that scores badly on both counts. Kensington and Chelsea has the third-highest concentration of private renting in England, and also carries the highest burglary rate of any area tracked by crime data platform CrimeRate, at 6.68 offences per 1,000 daytime population.
Leeds (6.40) and Middlesbrough (6.06) round out the three highest burglary rates nationally, though neither comes close to Kensington and Chelsea's rental density.
For renters, Kensington and Chelsea stands out. It ranks near the top nationally for burglary risk, while also having one of the highest shares of privately rented homes.
The Safest Place to Rent in the UK
Looking at burglary rates alone, some of England’s safest areas are small rural districts such as West Devon and Ribble Valley. For renters, though, those rankings only tell part of the story. Private renting is relatively limited in both areas, so a low burglary rate doesn’t necessarily make them useful comparisons for someone looking for somewhere to rent.
Winchester offers a more practical example. Crystal Roof records a burglary rate of 4.64 per 1,000 at-risk properties, lower than every area in the rental-density table above, including Brighton and Hove. At the same time, Winchester has an established rental market. ONS Census 2021 data shows that 17.6% of households rented privately in 2021, up from 14.1% in 2011.
That combination makes Winchester more relevant to renters than somewhere with an exceptionally low burglary rate but very few rental homes available. It shows why the safest place on paper isn’t always the most useful answer when deciding where to rent.
“
Burglary risk ultimately varies much more by individual area and postcode than rental density alone. The contrast between places such as Kensington and Chelsea and Winchester makes that particularly clear.
”What Security Rights Do Renters Have in the UK?
Renters have more legal backing on security than most people realise, even though they can't change the locks themselves without permission. England's Housing Health and Safety Rating System has long treated the security of a rented home against unauthorised entry as one of the statutory hazards a council can act on. A reform in force from June 2026 consolidated the system's hazard list from 29 categories down to 21.
If a council considers a security hazard serious, it can take enforcement action against the landlord. Under powers introduced in June 2026 through the Renters’ Rights Act, this can include a fine of up to £7,000, following the council’s own notice and evidence process.
Councils can also require repairs to be completed by a set deadline or take a landlord to court. If the hazard poses an immediate danger, the council may carry out emergency work itself and recover the cost from the landlord.
Separately, Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires a landlord to keep a property's structure and exterior in repair. In practice, this is generally understood to include external doors and windows, and a broken lock on a front door, or a window that won't close properly, is normally treated as falling within that obligation. Renters who report a security problem and get no response have a genuine legal complaint, not just a request the landlord can ignore.
Securing a Rented Home Without Permanent Changes
Landlord obligations take time to enforce, and in the meantime renters can add security that doesn't need permission or leave a mark on the property. A combination padlock needs no key to lose or duplicate, which makes it a sensible option for a shed, gate or storage area a tenancy comes with. Our combination padlocks collection covers everything from basic 3-digit locks through to insurance-rated 5-wheel mechanisms.
For anything that needs to travel between rentals, our security chain range pairs with a padlock to secure a bike or garden furniture without any fixings into brickwork or timber. If a tenancy includes a shed or outbuilding that came with a weak factory lock, upgrading it is usually the cheapest security improvement a renter can make on moving in.
We've helped renters and homeowners across the UK secure their properties for more than 23 years. If you're not sure what'll work for a rented property without needing the landlord's sign-off, call us on 0800 542 1264 (freephone) or get in touch with our team and tell us what you're securing.
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