About 4% of Queensland householders have suffered frightening home intrusions in the past year and 20% have reported some form of home-related crime, new research shows.

More than half of householders in the state are concerned about leaving their home in case it is broken into, according to the Sure Insurance poll of more than 2000 people. 

“Many residents reported they had something stolen from outside of the home such as from the garden, the driveway or outdoor shed (13%), experienced an attempted break-in (8%), followed by a break-in while someone was at home (4%), while 3% had a car stolen from their property,” Sure MD Bradley Heath said.

However, a “significant number” neglect the basics of home security: 21% often leave doors and windows unlocked when away from home.

“Queenslanders are reminded that most home theft is opportunistic, with householders themselves often making it easy for thieves to enter their homes,” Mr Heath said.

The Queensland home insurer says the most common items stolen over the past year were cash, mobile phones, car keys, watches, jewellery, laptops, credit and debit cards, personal ID and house keys.

“Householders should also be alert that opportunistic thieves are becoming more brazen in their methods of entering homes, with offenders often breaking into homes even when occupied,” Mr Heath said.