People are becoming increasingly clued up about getting cheaper home insurance these days through shopping around online. However, following the results of recent research by Moneysupermarket.com, it seems that where you live could have a huge impact on just how much you will have to pay.

After analysing 2 million home-insurance quotes over a period of 12 months, Moneysupermarket.com discovered that the cheapest place to live in the country for home insurance is the centre of Bournemouth, which has the postal code BH2. Residents here can expect to pay an average of just £103.98 for buildings and contents insurance.

To put this into perspective, the most expensive place was revealed as the London suburb of Stanmore, with the postal code HA7, where residents have to pay an average of £286.50 (over twice as much as Bournemouth) for the same cover.

The average amount across the country for buildings and contents insurance was £164.

Post codes have always been a large deciding factor for insurance companies when they come to dishing out premiums, but now it has been revealed just how different the premiums can be.

This is because some areas suffer from high crime levels or flooding, both of which can make claims more likely. People living in affluent areas are also likely to have to pay out higher premiums because properties are more expensive and the contents are likely to be more valuable.

However, people can always try to reduce their premiums by taking other measures. Increasing security measures by installing burglar alarms, security lights and window bolts can all help to lower premiums.

With the recession meaning that the majority of us are having to tighten our belts, it is not surprising that many of us are trying to cut costs when it comes to DIY projects.

Recent research from LV= (Liverpool Victoria) shows, however, that this may not be a wise move.

Many homeowners feel that, with property prices stagnating, they will be able to increase the value of their homes with a spot of home improvement. According to estate agents, though, this is not always the case. Many of the improvements which we as owners think will add value have in fact a minimal effect and if DIY jobs are done sloppily they can end up having a negative impact on the property value.

Then of course there is the safety aspect. A staggering 450,000 of us have tackled potentially dangerous gas repairs with scant regard not only for our personal safety but also for the fact that this sort of behaviour could invalidate our home insurance policies. 90% of us recognise that gas work should only be carried out by qualified professionals, but when it comes to saving cash common sense seems to go out of the window.

Electrical work is also a potentially dangerous area and yet over 4 million of us have spurned the professionals and risked life and limb in order to save money.

Plumbing, whilst not in the same hazardous league as gas and electrical work, can have disastrous effects if carried out by an amateur and yet 3.3 million of us ignore that fact.

A million of us have even tackled major structural jobs such as loft conversions and knocking down walls in an effort to increase our property’s value on the cheap. When jobs like this go wrong it is easy to see how properties can end up losing in excess of 5% of their value.

Before embarking on any DIY projects, always ensure that you have suitable home insurance cover.

It was recently announced that domestic burglary figures rose last year for the first time in six years. Burglars will of course employ a variety of techniques to gain entry to a property to carry out their crime. But one technique which seems to be on the increase is the distraction burglary.

According to figures produced by Sainsbury’s Home Insurance, almost three million of us believe that we have been targeted by criminals attempting to gain entry by pretending to be someone they are not, with the sole purpose of stealing from us.

Distraction burglars are imaginative in their guises and the stories are normally extremely plausible. Some will be wearing a “uniform” and pretend to be from a utility company or a charity. Others will pretend to be selling something or even that they are a police officer. Some will pretend to be in an emergency situation where they have to come in to your home to make an urgent phone call. Some may have an accomplice attempting to break in to the back of the property whilst you are kept talking at the front door. Others act single-handedly.

Historically, older people were the prime target but the 16 to 24 and 25 to 34 age groups also report an alarming number of encounters with distraction burglars. As far as areas are concerned, London is by far the worst place for this crime.

Many people feel too embarrassed to report the incident but Sainsbury’s Home Insurance warn that householders who suspect that they have been targeted should report the matter to the police or risk invalidating their home insurance policy.

For hints on how to avoid falling prey to distraction burglars see the Home Office website.