Millions of people have chosen to move home in the past five years because of high crime rates, according to research by Abbey.

The bank found that around a third of Brits (nearly 19 million) people moved in search of a better life, with nearly 5.3 saying they wanted to get away from crime.

Around 4.5 million people cited unruly "neighbours from hell" as the reason for the move and 2.6 million wanted fit into a better school catchment area.

"When buying a home people have more to consider than just the building itself," said Nici Audhlam Gardiner, the head of mortgages at Abbey.

"People spend a lot of time looking not only for what they want in a home, but for what they need in the area they live in, and more often than not, these requirements are for the greater good of the family.

"Crime and family safety is clearly a top priority for most buyers, but moving to get the right school for your children or to avoid unruly neighbours also have an important impact on the selection of a home."

Many people feel more secure after installing security at home.

Click here for a selection of Safestyle security locks for windows and doors.

©

Author:  Joanne McCabe

Publish our Security articles on your own site!

All our Security articles are available for republishing, provided the links in the content remain intact. You can also use our RSS news feed to republish all of our Security articles.