Burglaries can be a traumatizing experience for most people. In most cases, homeowners feel like they lost their sense of safety and they’re unsure what to do. It’s always best to have a game plan in case anything happens. Here’s a list of what you need to do if you find out your home’s been burglarized.
What to Do After a Burglary
Call 911
It’s very important that you call 911 right away so they can send you help immediately. Don’t make the call from within your house, because there’s a chance the burglars are still in there. Typically, the home invaders will run when they hear someone enter the house, but that isn’t always the case.
Don’t Mess with the Crime Scene
Your home is now a crime scene; therefore, don’t touch anything until the police arrives. If you tamper with the evidence, you may jeopardize the investigation. The burglars might have left fingerprints behind and that can be very helpful in identifying them. Wait for the police to give you the ok to put your home back in order.
Go to a Safe Location
Your home isn’t safe after a burglary; therefore, you must leave immediately and go to a neighbors. Ideally, you’ll want to be in close proximity to your home so you can go back over once the police arrive.
Take Home Inventory
The police may ask you about all the things that have been stolen from your home. Make a list of all the stolen items along with a description of each. You may also want to calculate the value of each item as well.
Call Your Insurance Company
Once you take inventory, call your insurance company as soon as possible. If your home was damaged during the break in your homeowners or renters insurance should cover the damages. They should also cover some of the stolen items; however, there may be a limit or exclusion on certain expensive items. Make sure you talk with your provider to determine what valuable items are covered.
It’s important to note that many basic homeowners policies won’t cover all your valuable items stolen or damaged. Most have limits and exclusions; therefore, getting extra coverage for your valuable items could be in your best interest.
View Security Footage
Most homes have security cameras, if you have one, review the footage and see what transpired. You can also show this footage to the police and insurance company for proof. It may be very helpful in catching the culprits.
Make Sure Your Children and Pets Are Safe
If you have children or pets make sure both are safe and out of the house. Having to see their home wrecked can be traumatizing to children no matter their age. You may not think of it, but your pets are most likely scared as well. Animals are very intelligent and can sense if something isn’t right.
Put Your Home Back in Order
Once the police and insurance company give you the ok, you can start putting your home back together. As soon as you’re able to fix your home, the better it will be. You’ll finally be able to get back to normal life.
Burglaries can be very emotional, ask friends or family to help you with the task.
Make Security Improvements
The most important thing you need to do is improve the security in your home. Making security upgrades to your home can be very helpful in preventing something like this from occurring again.
Here’s some security measures you can take:
- Add security cameras both in and around the outer perimeter of the house
- Get motion sensor lights outside
- Get a security system and set it when you aren’t home
- Upgrade your window and door locks
Source
https://www.safewise.com/faq/home-security/house-break-in/