According to a survey carried out by UK mortgage brokerage Ocean Finance, safety is a paramount consideration among those hunting for a new home to buy or rent (60%), quiet comes next (49%) and access to a parking space follows (35%).

Other important factors are closeness of family and local public transport links (both 27%), and being near schools or within a catchment area (25%). The biggest no-nos are crime (72%), being located near a sewage works (43%) and being under a flight path (25%).

Londoners have the highest tolerance for crime in the UK, with fewer respondents in the capital (60%) saying it would put them off.

Ian Williams of Ocean Finance said:

“The old adage about the three most important factors when choosing a property being ‘location, location and location’ hasn’t changed – but it is interesting to see what factors drive that choice of location. Whilst avoiding areas of high crime is obvious, the importance of being able to park nearby and avoiding noise may be less so.

“Of course, finding a property you can afford to buy or rent is the main driver, but as a nation we remain very clear about where we do, and don’t, want to live.”