After a break-in checklist
Work down this sheet in order. It keeps the first day manageable, and it makes sure no key, remote or code is left working for whoever got in.
Right now
- If someone may still be inside, don't go in: leave and call 911
- If it's over and everyone is safe, report it to police
- Write down the police report number
Before you tidy up
- Photograph the way in: door, frame, lock, window, pry marks
- Photograph every disturbed room, wide shots first, then close-ups
- Walk through the house on video
- Start a list of what's missing and keep adding to it
- Keep damaged items until your insurer says otherwise
Insurance
- Call your insurer or broker as soon as you can
- Have the report number, your list and your photos ready
- Keep receipts for cleanup and for emergency work to secure the house
- Ask what's covered before you book repairs
Secure it before tonight
- The forced door still closes and latches
- The frame is not split around the strike plate
- The lock was not drilled, pried or twisted
- Every other door locks: garage to house, patio, side and basement
- A door that won't lock needs a call tonight, not a chair under the handle
Keys, remotes and codes they may have
- House keys gone: rekey or replace every lock they open
- Garage remote gone: clear the opener's memory, re-pair your remotes, change the keypad code
- Car key gone: have it removed from the car's memory
- Smart lock or keypad codes changed
- Cards or a device taken: call your bank and change your passwords
- Home safe tampered with: check it still opens normally
In the week after
- Strike plates fixed with long screws into the framing
- Deadbolts that throw their full length into the frame
- Glass beside the door is not within reach of the lock
- Lighting at the entrance and the back lane
- Tell your neighbours and ask whether a camera caught anything