Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
15th January 2025 Issue no. 736
Your industry news - first
We strongly recommend viewing Locks and Security News full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
UK garage ‘gold mines’
Garage door specialists Garolla commissioned a survey of 1,001 UK respondents (nationally representative) to discover what items the nation are storing in their garages, the estimated value of these belongings, and common home security measures.
The findings revealed that the most common items to store in garages are DIY tools (60.4%), gardening tools (58.1%) and cars (40.8%). Over a third (35.6%) admitted to hoarding junk in their garages, and some revealed that they keep valuables (3.2%) or important documents (2.9%) in their garages.
The findings revealed that the estimated value of items stored in UK garages is £9,326.12 per household (on average). Across the UK, this equates to an estimated £92B total value of items stored in Brits’ garages (£92,048,804,400*).
According to official figures, the UK economy fell into recession during the final three months of 2023 – with this in mind, homeowners should consider making the most of these potential garage ‘gold mines’ by selling any unneeded or unwanted items. Otherwise, homeowners should ensure that their belongings are being properly protected.
The survey revealed that many are relying on blinds/curtains (35.5%), alarms (34.3%), and double locking doors (33.7%) for home security, with these three being the most common measures that homeowners currently in place. Various cameras, timers, detectors, sensors, locks, and monitoring were also popular – however, some trusted less technical options, such as being part of a neighbourhood watch or the protection of a (guard) dog.
The research also highlights that an estimated 169,031** households have zero home security measures currently in place, emphasizing potential security risks across the country.
Looking at location splits (nearest city), on average, Liverpool homeowners had the ‘most valuable’ garages (based on estimated value of belongings stored in garages):
- Liverpool – estimated value of £13,690.18 per garage
- Leeds – estimated value of £12,347.40 per garage
- Bristol – estimated value of £12,135.71 per garage
- London – estimated value of £11,135.83 per garage
- Edinburgh – estimated value of £10,796.97 per garage
- Glasgow – estimated value of £10,410.61 per garage
- UK average - estimated average value of £9,326.12 per garage
- Nottingham – estimated value of £7,813.69 per garage
- Birmingham – estimated value of £7,756.41 per garage
- Southampton – estimated value of £7,752.00 per garage
- Manchester – estimated value of £7,734.96 per garage
- Cardiff – estimated value of £7,713.77 per garage
- Sheffield – estimated value of £6,463.46 per garage
- Newcastle– estimated value of £6,032.76 per garage
- Belfast – estimated value of £5,892.31 per garage
- Norwich – estimated value of £5,140.28 per garage
Alastair Mayne, chief operating officer at Garolla, commented: “While many homeowners focus on securing their front doors and windows, they often overlook the importance of garage door security. In addition to housing valuable assets (including cars, bicycles, tools, and other possessions), your garage door serves as an entry point to your home, making it a common target for burglars.
“Investing in garage door security offers a multitude of benefits for homeowners, including unauthorised access prevention, vehicle protection, and potential home insurance savings. A well-secured garage door acts as a barrier against burglars, safeguarding your home and valuable possessions from unauthorised entry, and is a crucial safeguard against theft and vandalism, offering peace of mind when it comes to the safety of your vehicles.
“However, not all garage doors are made equal… Unless properly reinforced, older garage doors with an ‘up and over’ mechanism can be forced open, making these garages more vulnerable against intruders and the contents susceptible to burglary. Garolla’s electric roller garage doors are made from double-skinned aluminium and insulated with high-density polyurethane for added strength, as well as secure guide rails, auto locks (which ensure the door cannot be lifted manually), and anti-clone remote control technology. Our SafeGuard Plus system also features ‘KeeLoq’ – a rolling code technology to prevent remote control fob cloning by criminals.”
https://garolla.co.uk/news/brits-store-up-to-10k-in-their-garage-is-yours-secure-enough
12th June 2024