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What To Do If Your House is Broken Into?
To many of you, the thought of your house being broken into may sound far-fetched. However, house thefts and burglaries are more common than you may realise. While the thought alone can be frightening for you and your family, it’s important to know what needs to be done after the unfortunate event has happened. Knowing how to respond to the situation helps you and your family to get back to normalcy as soon as possible. If you want to know what to do if your house gets broken into, this is the article for you.
What To Do If Your House is Broken Into?
Leave the house immediately: The first and foremost thing you should do is to leave the premises immediately for your family’s safety. Ensure that your children are with you. Don’t try to check whether the intruders have left the scene or not.It can be dangerous – if you stay to find out, you could be hurt. Leave the house without any noise so that intruders are not aware of your presence.
Get to a safe zone and call the police: Instead of worrying about what to do when your house is broken into and taking any impulsive decisions, try to get to a secure location. Once your family is in a safe location, call the police immediately. The earlier the police are involved in the investigation, the better the chances they have of catching the culprits and recovering your stolen items. Also, calling the police and filing a report puts the incident on record. If you have a home insurance policy, then you will need an FIR copy and other related documents to make an insurance claim.
Do not touch anything until the police arrive: While you may be puzzled about what to do after a burglary into your house, you must remember one rule; do not touch anything until the police arrive. Leave the room as it is until the police are done with collecting evidence. Your concern to ensure that everything is fine is understandable but you may inadvertently destroy any evidence in your home. If you find something suspicious, inform the police but don’t touch it.
Take stock of inventory when the police arrive: Once the police give you a go–ahead, make a list of all the missing items and an approximate value of those items. You will need this list for the FIR report as well as your home insurance claim. Also, click photographs of the damaged property. The insurance company may need photos.
Contact the insurance provider to make a claim: Just as it is important to inform the police, so is it crucial to notify your insurance provider about the break–in. Intimate your home insurance provider about the burglary at the earliest, letting them know about your intention to file a claim. Make sure you have submitted all necessary information to the police, as the insurance company will check with the law enforcement agency to process your claim.
If you don’t have a home insurance policy, it’s time you buy one. A home insurance policy offers you compensation for the loss or damage resulting from a burglary or theft.
Secure your home to avoid future burglaries: While it is important to know what to do if your house gets broken into, you should also be proactive in ensuring your property is well–protected. Review the security system of your house and take necessary steps to secure the weak entry points in your home. Installing security cameras, burglar alarms and motion detectors are some of the ways to secure your house. Also, secure your doors and windows to protect your home from another attack.
Disclaimer:
The above information is indicative in nature. For more details on the risk factor, terms and conditions, please refer to the Sales Brochure and Policy Wordings carefully before concluding a sale.
