Do people in social housing get burgled?

[Danceinthenight]

I mean as in a properly burglary not someone you know who has visited and nicked something. I am in social housing and I want to know the likelihood of being burgled. The few houses with good gardens around here have flood lights, security cameras and ring door bells. I know there are people on drugs in the area, although it’s not the majority. I get a lot of amazon and eBay packages as I am doing up my house (DIY) and am in the process of doing up my garden. I have severe anxiety about it after being warned by a neighbour that some people might just come drunk into my garden if I don’t lock it

I don't think burglars are particularly ethical. Your stuff has the same worth as everybody else's. If your neighbour has warned you, take heed.

Obviously, the same chance of burglary as anyone else.
A lot of areas are a mix of private and social housing. I’m sure burglars are looking for easy access/exits and not considering ownership.

Of course they do.
Keep your garden locked for a start. Security lights and a ring doorbell will reduce the chances.

kiwi yes, tools and ladder kept in the house here too as I don't have a garage.

I live somewhere where it is only a new thing for the requirement for developments to be mixed, so social housing developments are known because there are signs up to say what association it belongs to. I only know of one mixed development, and colleagues say you know the SH properties by the amount of bikes lying in the front garden.

Yes-thieves are opportunists.

My grandmother lived in social housing all her life and was burgled though she owned very little. (No microwave or TV)

Her kettle was taken!

@poshsnobtwit yes but my block of flats has "council" signs on it - but most of the flats are now privately owned. There's no way of knowing which individual flats are which though.
What's wrong with bikes?

I live on a council estate and there are more car robberies than anything, they will come into your house to look for the keys. There’s at least 1-2 posts daily on my local fb group about burglars trying people’s doors in the night.

Nothing wrong with bikes, for some reason though where I am there are stereotypical markers of SH, one of them being that there are about 3 bikes per child, and they are left lying in the front garden.

ETA: I'm in a fairly parochial area, so my experience is not going to be representative of the UK. In general it's only SH/council tenants who buy their homes, or maybe people who grew up there. There wouldn't be a lot of movement of people into a SH area who are not 'local', and there would be a lot of snobbery about living in an ex SH property, so the area will always be considered SH even if it's 80% privately owned.

I imagine there are higher then average number of burglars living in social housing (before someone says I’m sure the vast majority are lovely) and given it’s opportunistic there will be a higher risk as they are about. I know you can get a lockable parcel delivery box and bolt it to your home. I don’t think they’ve taken off but it may be worth investigating.

The main piece of advice I’d give you, is that SH often only has a Yale type lock on the front door. They are super easy to open by a burglar. If that’s the case with you, get an additional one fitted, I can’t remember the name of them offhand but it’s more of a proper keyhole with a different type of key. Shouldn’t be too expensive. I fitted one myself to my front door, it isn’t hard.

Once when I was away on holiday, it was only that, that stopped me being burgled. I came home and someone had tried to gouge out the wood around it so they’d clearly been trying to get in.

Social housing varies massively, in much of it your chance of being a victim of crime is no greater than elsewhere, there are some areas where the risk is higher but it is more the risk of opportunism. In the roughest areas there is often a "don't crap on your own doorstep" attitude so it's the druggies and drunks rather than serious criminals you have to worry about.

So I would suggest you keep your doors and gates locked at all times, get a video doorbell and contents insurance then just enjoy your new home.

I’m in social housing, have been for about 8 years. We have never been burgled. I do have a friend who stays in same area who was though-a few years back in the the run up to Christmas. I’ve known people outwith social housing to experience burglary though.

That's horrific, WillimNot. 💐

Everyone on mumsnet knows that rich people have nothing and sit on hay bales while warming their money on the aga while people living on council estates all have flat screen tvs and wear Burberry so burglars will probably do better on the council estates.

There's a possibility. I'm in private rented but wouldn't say I was any more secure than HA/social housing. Burglars only tend to want electronics/jewellery.

Just make it as secure as possible.

Any house, anywhere can get burgled. From big detached houses to flats, or even garden sheds and garages. It doesn't matter if the owners are council tenants or investment bankers. I wouldn't say that social housing is more of a target though if that's what you mean.

How do you lock a garden?

They don't tend to shit on their own door step where I live , I live across the road from a garage though so there's also people working all hours which would put people off breaking in through the front as they would likely be seen.

The back gardens are over 6 ft as well and the gate is locked as well as me being in a mid terraced house so it's probably too much of a pain

Get a ring doorbell and keep gates locked , I don't think you are more likely to be burgled because you are in sh though

I think it’s just an opportunity- regardless of where you live.

Regularly on the local Facebook chat group has video of people trying doors on cars & coming up to house doors. At the moment we’ve had a regular doing the distracting thing and stealing wallets etc. The other issue is parcel being taken from front doors.

The same issues are whether you live on the road with private house or the estate side. Same chancers captured on video.

User name checks out

Of course, lots of convicted burglars live in social housing so they have a good look at who is going out etc.

Padlock on the gate, decent fence round the rest. Enough to deter casual opportunists. If you have valuable stuff or if the garden is unfenced a camera would be worthwhile.

Tapo make reasonably priced wire free ones that are dead easy to set up.

Strange question! And yes,in my experience, people in social housing DO get burgled. I know a couple of people who live in social housing who this has happened to.

I had experience of two tier policing because of living in social housing. A snake got into the KITCHEN of my flat and i had people and posters on here tell me it wasnt the polices job. They also told me it wasnt their job. Fair enough But that argument falls apart when the same breed of snake crawls into the GARDEN of a 4 bedroom privately owned house and they promptly attended.