New Requirements for Home Security Being Considered

Work is being undertaken across Government in relation to security standards in domestic properties, with recent exercises including a 'call for evidence' session hosted by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in conjunction with the Home Office.

According to Home Office statistics, domestic burglary has reduced by 63% since 1995, but there are still 650,000 burglaries a year. This Government is looking at ways to continue the downwards trend, and will be focussing on the areas of voluntary and industry initiatives, local standards frameworks, and building regulations.

Voluntary and Industry Initiatives
The Home Office has been addressing the idea that voluntary initiatives could be increasingly effective in both improving basic home security in new and existing domestic properties, and informing consumer choice. 'Households with less than basic' home security measures were six times more likely to be victims of burglary than households with basic security
Home Office Ministers want to explore the best way of ensuring that all homes (new build and existing stock) have at least basic security and that people are confident in using it.

Local Standards Frameworks
DCLG has been looking into the development of a Local Standards Framework and the potential for locally set security standards. This approach could be considered to be similar to the Code for Sustainable Homes:

• A single consolidated menu of technically robust, costed standards for new homes (beyond National Building Regulations)
• With a single, co-ordinated and simplified assessment mechanism (to minimise compliance costs)
• Developed, owned and maintained by an independent body, outside Government, to suitably reflect and balance the different interests
• Identified in national planning policy (as the expected source of local standards)
• To be used by:

– Local authorities and neighbourhoods in setting local standards for new houses in their local plans
– Developers to present their offer to local authorities or neighbourhoods
– Developers in marketing homes to consumers

Building Regulations
DCLG have also been considering the case for introducing minimum residential security standards in to the National Building Regulations (England and Wales). Building Regulations Minister Andrew Stunnell said, I would like to explore further the case in relation to minimum standards for security in homes and explore whether national regulation might be a more effective approach than voluntary and local initiatives.While there is a consideration by the Government to introduce security standards into the Building Regulations, this would need to be done against the background of a Government pledge to 'reduce the total regulatory burden on the house building industry'. If a case for regulatory intervention exists, new Building Regulations and/or guidance incorporating home security will come into force in April 2013. To prepare the case for regulatory intervention DCLG needs to gather information relating to:

• Current Industry practice for security standards (including replacement doors and windows)
• Effectiveness of standards in reducing the rate of burglary in areas of varying levels of crime
• Cost of varying standards
• Trends and patterns of burglary in different tenures (owner occupier, social/private rented)
• Comparisons between the rate of burglaries of new build homes and the existing stock.
• Cost of domestic burglary, including consideration of impact on people's lives. The BWF will be looking to support this work by feeding in relevant information provided by members.