Guide
What to Do After a Burglary: The First Hours, Days and Weeks Ahead
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The First Hour: Start Here
The first decision is a single question: could the person who broke in still be there? If the answer is yes, or you simply cannot tell, dial 999. If you are confident the house is empty and they have left, the right route is 101 or an online report. That one choice is the hardest part of the first hour; the rest is a short, ordered list.
When You Think Someone Is Still Inside
Stay outside, or get back outside if you are already in the hall. Call 999 from somewhere safe, such as the car or a neighbour's front room. Never confront, follow or photograph anyone.
The House Empty, the Burglar Gone
Phone 101 or report online, and make sure you leave the call with a crime reference number. Knowing which rooms were entered helps the person taking the report.
What Not to Do, Before the Police Have Been
Do not tidy, clean or straighten the place where they got in. Take photographs of anything disturbed before it is touched.
Five things to do now
- Phone 999 if anyone may be inside; 101 if not.
- Stay out of disturbed rooms for now.
- Note down what is obviously gone.
- Tell your bank straight away if cards were taken.
- Secure doors and windows when police say work may begin.
What You Can Use as Normal, and What to Leave Alone for the Police
Light switches and door handles outside the entry area are fine to use normally, according to police guidance on preserving forensic evidence. That holds true whether a crime scene investigator is expected or not, which means you can live in the house tonight rather than tiptoe through it. The entry point must stay untouched until police allow work; elsewhere, where possible, do not touch or clean fluids like blood, footprints, or areas and items handled by the offender.
| Go ahead and use | Avoid touching |
|---|---|
| Light switches throughout | The point where they forced entry |
| Door handles throughout, except at the forced entry point | Footprints |
| Kitchen, bathroom, beds | Fluids such as blood |
| Anything in untouched rooms | Belongings the intruder clearly moved |
Touch and Use as Normal: What You Can
The traces investigators want are the intruder's, on surfaces the household would not normally touch. A switch used ten times a day by the family is unlikely to help, whereas a jemmied frame might.
What to Leave Untouched Until the Police Have Finished
If you cannot tell whether something was handled, leave it where it is and point it out when the police attend.
How to Safely Move Things If You Have To
Once police permit anything at the entry point to be moved, photograph it first, then wear gloves, especially for plastic, metal, glass and treated wood, which hold marks that fabric does not. Photograph the damage too: that picture does a second job for your insurer.
Getting Your Crime Reference Number and Reporting the Burglary
Report the burglary first and foremost to get a crime reference number, because that is what your insurer will ask for before anything else. A claim built without it tends to stall at the first step. Write it down as soon as it is given, together with the date and the route you used. Neighbourhood Watch advice says the same: note the police crime number for insurance purposes.
Which Route Applies: 999, 101 or Online
Use 999 when a crime is happening right now or the suspect is still on the premises. For a burglary discovered after the event, 101 and the online report are your options, and the control room handles both in the same way, which police guidance confirms. If 101 has a long queue, the online report is a full alternative. Some areas also have a station counter where you can report face to face.
What Happens Once You Report It
The police are open about having to choose which crimes they investigate. They look at the vulnerability of the victim, the seriousness of the crime, the likelihood of solving it and how to use their resources best. Either way they will contact you. Where they cannot investigate they explain why; where they can, an investigating officer becomes your point of contact and keeps you updated.
Making Sure Your Home Is Secure Again
Making the house secure again means a door and windows that lock as they should tonight, plus a clear answer to the question of who has a key. That is two tasks rather than one. Repair puts right what was broken, while a lock change takes back control of access, and it is the lock change that gets left out most often. Read about burglary damage repairs for what the repair side covers.
Why the Damaged Door Matters Less Than Changing the Locks
If the original cylinder stays in, any key that was taken still works, however good the repair looks. The fix is usually straightforward: on a uPVC or composite door, the euro cylinder can normally be replaced without touching the multipoint mechanism. There is detail on how professionals.
Missing Spare Keys and Who Else Holds One
Write down each key holder: family, a cleaner, a neighbour, a relative. Then check each key can be found. Missing keys matter more than missing valuables, and a burglary where only a spare from the key safe has gone is a strong reason to change locks.
Telling Your Landlord or Housing Provider If You Rent
Tenants should contact their landlord or housing provider promptly; most tenancy agreements require damage to be reported. Responsibility usually splits between landlord, for doors, windows and locks, and tenant, for contents. Keep the same paperwork a homeowner would.
Can the Door Be Repaired Before the Insurer Has Seen It?
Yes. After police permission, photograph the damage and make the house secure without waiting for the insurer. Photographs record the damage but do not authorise repairs; police must allow work to begin, and the Association of British Insurers' theft guidance says "Your insurance policy will usually cover you for any emergency repairs you make following an incident." The word usually is deliberate, and cover varies by policy. If a door or pane needs it, read about how to board up a damaged door or window.
Before Anything Is Repaired, Photograph the Damage
They should show the damaged door or window in context and in detail: frame, lock, marks and broken glass. If temporary work is done, photograph the result too, so the record shows what was changed.
Emergency Repairs: What Your Policy Usually Covers
Typical examples are boarding a broken panel, refitting or replacing a lock that was forced and securing a window. Before booking anyone, ask your insurer what the policy requires; some policies with home emergency cover want their own contractor to attend.
The Paperwork to Keep That Your Insurer Will Ask For
Store the crime reference number, photographs, receipts and a note of who you spoke to. If a tradesperson replaces the lock, keep the old one: it shows forced entry.
Tonight, in order 1. Photograph every part of the damage. 2. Lock or board the opening only after police give permission. 3. Keep the receipt for the work.
As a Victim, Your Rights Under the Victims' Code
The Victims' Code gives twelve rights to anyone who reports a crime in England and Wales, and they begin the moment your burglary is reported. Not many people are told this. Victim Support sets the rights out in a short summary. Some are about court cases and will never touch a burglary claim; others matter a great deal straight away, and those are the ones explained here.
The Rights Which Matter Most Right Now
The Code says your crime should be recorded without unjustified delay, so a report that is not being taken can be challenged. You are entitled to information when you report it, including a crime reference number. You have a right to be referred to services that support victims, with help tailored to your needs. You are owed information about the investigation, so chasing an update is legitimate. And you can make a complaint if any of this does not happen, usually to the force in the first instance. The Victims' Right to Review scheme covers asking for some decisions not to proceed to be looked at again.
How to Be Referred to Victim Support
The police can pass your details on, or you can get in touch yourself; no referral is needed. Victim Support is free and independent of the police. It offers emotional support and practical help, from insurance forms to, in some areas, help with securing a property. The Victim Support website has its current helpline details.
What to Expect, and What to Gather, for Your Insurance Claim
Before an insurer considers a burglary claim it will want the crime reference number, a list of what has been taken and evidence of value. In practice the claim is a documentation exercise, and the stronger the list, the better it tends to go. Check whether the door and window damage belongs under buildings insurance and the stolen items under contents, and note the excess on each.
Building a List of What Was Taken
Take each room in turn rather than trying to remember everything at once. For each item, give a description, make and model, age, serial number and the proof you hold. Proof can be a bank or card statement, an online order, a warranty or a photograph. Items stored in cupboards are often missed at first, so revisit the list over the following days, and update the police with new serial numbers.
What a Loss Adjuster Is Looking For
The loss adjuster represents the insurer and assesses the claim. Not every claim gets one, and not every adjuster visits. When they do, the focus is evidence that the theft was reported, evidence of forced entry, the inventory and proof of ownership. If your policy contains lock or security conditions, read them so your answers are accurate.
What the Criminal Injuries Scheme Does and Does Not Cover: Compensation
Criminal injuries compensation is for injury, not for property. Only someone hurt during the crime may be eligible, and the crime must have been reported to the police first. Details and time limits are on GOV.UK.
The Weeks After: Feeling Settled at Home Again
Once the claim is filed and the door works, the practical side is over, yet the house may not feel quite normal for a while. That is ordinary. It does not mean anything is wrong, and there is no expected way to feel or length of time it should take. What follows is simply what is available, and a few practical things that can help home feel settled again.
Available Support, and How to Get It
Victim Support helps people after burglaries of every kind, whether or not anyone was hurt and whatever was taken. It can include everyone in the household, including children who were out at the time. Calling with a practical request, such as help completing an insurance form, is entirely legitimate. Independent Age supports older people, and your GP is another route.
Practical Changes That Help a House Feel Settled
Keep this to doors, windows and keys, the things that are part of every day. - A forced lock, even repaired, can be replaced with a new one. - Each external door and window lock can be checked to confirm it works. - Keys can be gathered back to a set you can account for.
Nothing on this list has a deadline. If you want the technical background, read which door locks meet insurance requirements and anti-snap cylinders.
Getting Your Runcorn Home Secure
We board up doors and windows damaged in a burglary, repair or replace forced locks, and change cylinders where keys are missing or unaccounted for. Calls to Eds Locksmiths Runcorn are answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year, through nights, weekends and bank holidays. The engineers are DBS-checked. You pay for the work carried out, any parts needed, and VAT. Rates outside Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, are higher, but the call-out itself is never charged. You are given the price on the call, and told before any work starts if something on site changes it.
Phone 01928 611001
For the night-time or weekend side, read about an emergency locksmith call-out, or talk to a Runcorn locksmith about the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to report a burglary to the police?
For claiming purposes, the practical answer is usually yes. The crime reference number often comes up near the start of an insurer's questions. A report to the police can also provide the evidence of theft that the insurer needs when considering your claim.
Can I clean up after a burglary?
Tidying the entry point must wait until police say you may start. Leave that door or window and its handle alone meanwhile. When it is safe to enter, ordinary use of the other rooms and their lights can continue.
Should I change my locks after a burglary?
Yes, where there is uncertainty about the whereabouts of a key. A repaired door can still be unlocked with a taken key if the original cylinder remains fitted. Door repairs alone do not address that access, so have a qualified locksmith change the affected lock.
Will my insurance pay for the emergency door repair?
Yes, usually, is the Association of British Insurers' general position on emergency door repair. It remains a policy-specific question for you. What is included changes with the insurer and the cover level, so read the relevant terms to see how your repair is treated.
How do I find someone trustworthy to make the house secure?
Look for openness about what the job will cost, including any out-of-hours charging. The business should discuss the amount during your call. If that figure needs revising, it should explain the change before work begins, giving you a clear basis for choosing the locksmith.
Can I claim criminal injuries compensation for stolen property?
Stolen belongings are not covered by criminal injuries compensation. That means you cannot claim through it for property taken from your home. If you want compensation for the items lost in the burglary, this scheme does not cover that loss.
I rent my home. Who pays for the broken door and lock?
For a broken external door or lock, the landlord is usually responsible. The same normally applies to the windows. Belongings come under your contents insurance instead, so there are separate responsibilities for the damaged parts of the home and the possessions that were inside.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01928 611001, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.