Love that word, burgled. It’s British, the equivalent of the English word, burglarized. No matter which word you prefer, it’s no laughing matter when you are the one who has been burgled.
Nobody thinks that their home will be broken into until it happens. It’s an incredibly scary experience and it can leave you feeling very unsafe in your own home. But even though you are trying to deal with the shock of the situation, it’s important that you take the right steps to ensure that you and your family are safe and you can start to rebuild your life. These are the steps that you need to take if your home is broken into.
Call The Police
The first thing that you should do after discovering a break-in is to call the police. You need to do this right away before you start trying to clear up the house or work out what was taken. Wait outside the house or see if you can go over to a neighbor’s house while you wait, and call the police. There may be vital evidence in the house that can help the police catch the burglars, but if you go in and start moving things around, you might make it harder for them to do their job, so don’t touch a thing until they arrive.
Call A Locksmith
Once you have called the police and they are on the way, you need to think about securing your home properly. That’s why your next step should always be to call a locksmith and get them to replace all of the locks in the house right away. It is likely that the burglars have taken any spare keys inside the house, so make sure you replace every lock, including the windows and the garage.
Notify Your Insurance Company
You will need to get in touch with your insurance company and report the burglary. The process of making a claim can take some time and you need to know what information the insurance company needs from you, so do this as soon as possible.
Take Inventory Of The House
Once the police have been and done everything that they need to do, they will let you back into the house and tell you what their next steps are going to be. When you are back inside, you need to start taking inventory of the house and work out exactly what has been taken and what has been damaged. You need a comprehensive list for the insurance company, so make sure that you are thorough.
Upgrade Your Security Systems
If your house has been broken into, that is a sign that your security is not up to scratch. Once the house has been cleared up and all of the locks have been replaced, you need to take steps to improve your security. If the burglars managed to break in through a door, your locks are not sturdy enough. When the locksmith comes, make sure to ask for some heavy-duty locks. If you do not already have one, you also need to install a security system, and consider getting some CCTV cameras. As long as you boost your security enough, you can avoid another break-in.
Dealing with the emotional turmoil of a break-in can be tough, but it’s important that you keep a clear head and take these steps so you can protect yourself and your family.
