The optional extra crime comparison
Every report already shows crime recorded close to the property. Business accounts can also add a wider comparison with a set of UK villages, towns and cities. This page explains what that extra section is, which places we use, and when it is worth including.
What you always get
The standard crime section is in every report. It is a picture of what has been recorded near that address over about a year: a map of nearby incidents, and simple counts such as burglary, anti-social behaviour, vehicle crime and violence.
That local picture stays in the report whether or not you add the extra comparison.
What the extra section does
The extra table puts this neighbourhood next to three groups of places: villages, towns and cities. It is there to give a buyer a rough sense of scale — “does this street look quieter or busier than those groups?” — not to score the house, and not as an official national average.
Colours are a quick cue:
- Green — fewer incidents nearby than that group, on average
- Red — more incidents nearby than that group
- Plain — close to that group
Red does not mean the property is unsafe. It only means this pin looks busier than the places in that group. On a city-centre flat that can be expected, and it can still worry a buyer if it is left in the pack. That is why the extra section is off unless you choose it.
How we put it together
- We keep a fixed list of villages, towns and mid-sized cities across England and Wales (London is left out, because it would dwarf everything else).
- For each place we look at crime recorded near a typical spot there, over about a year — the same idea as the local map in your report.
- For towns and cities we aim at a residential street, not the busiest high street or station, so the backdrop is closer to how people actually live.
- We then set your property’s nearby counts next to those three groups.
It is a backdrop, not a league table. The places do not change from report to report, so two houses can be compared against the same groups.
Places we use
These are the villages, towns and cities in the extra comparison today.
Villages
Smaller places and quieter centres — a calmer backdrop.
- Helmsley · North Yorkshire
- Bourton-on-the-Water · Gloucestershire
- Southwold · Suffolk
- Bakewell · Derbyshire
- Much Wenlock · Shropshire
- Warkworth · Northumberland
- Llanberis · Gwynedd
- Cockermouth · Cumbria
Towns
Market and county towns, using a typical residential street rather than the high street alone.
- Shrewsbury · Shropshire
- Winchester · Hampshire
- Warwick · Warwickshire
- Truro · Cornwall
- Kendal · Cumbria
- King's Lynn · Norfolk
- Salisbury · Wiltshire
- Chester · Cheshire
Cities
Mid-sized cities (not London). Again we aim for a typical neighbourhood, not the busiest core.
- York · North Yorkshire
- Exeter · Devon
- Norwich · Norfolk
- Bath · Somerset
- Lincoln · Lincolnshire
- Preston · Lancashire
- Bradford · West Yorkshire
- Leicester · Leicestershire
- Grimsby · North East Lincolnshire
- Swansea · Wales
When to include it — and when to leave it off
| Include it | Leave it off |
|---|---|
| Houses on residential streets and in suburbs | City-centre flats and apartments |
| Villages and the edges of towns | High streets, stations, and night-time economy streets |
| Quieter or mixed neighbourhoods where a buyer wants extra context | Very built-up cores, where almost any pin will look busier than a typical house |
A simple example
Imagine two searches in the same city.
| Quiet street on the edge of town | Flat above a city-centre high street | |
|---|---|---|
| Local crime in the report | Still shown — incidents near that house | Still shown — incidents near that flat |
| Extra comparison | Often sits nearer the town or village groups. Can be useful extra context for a buyer. | Often lights up red against those groups, because centres are simply busier. That can look alarming even when the flat itself is fine. |
| What we suggest | Turn the extra section on if you want that wider backdrop. | Leave it off. The local map is enough; the extra table is not a fair like-for-like with a typical house. |
The numbers in a real report will differ. The point is the same: the extra table is built for residential streets and less built-up areas, not for the middle of a city.
How business accounts turn it on
When you confirm an address, you will see a box: Include 12-month village, town and city crime comparison. It is unchecked. Tick it only when the pin is a good fit. Guests and standard accounts do not get this option — they always receive the local crime section only.
This extra section is a research aid, not a police report, a risk score, or advice on whether to buy. Always read it alongside the local map, and instruct a solicitor and surveyor in the usual way.