What to Do After a Burglary: Step-by-Step UK Guide
Learn what to do after a burglary in London. This guide covers staying safe, reporting it, calling your insurer, securing the property and replacing locks.
After a break-in, the order of steps matters. First, make sure everyone is safe and the burglar has gone. Then report it to the police and get a crime reference number, and tell your insurer before you arrange repairs where you can. Finally, secure any forced door or window, first for now and then for good, and replace damaged locks as part of that.
Doing things in this order protects both your safety and your insurance claim. Fixing damage before anyone reports or photographs it can cause avoidable problems with a claim later.
First: make sure it’s safe
If you have just found a break-in and are not sure whether anyone is still inside, do not go in. Leave the property and call the police from somewhere safe. If you are already inside when you realise something is wrong, leave calmly if you can, rather than confront anyone. Once you are safe, the next steps can follow at a slower pace.
Report it and get a crime reference number
Call 999 if the burglary has just happened or you think someone may still be nearby. Call 101 for a burglary you find after the fact. The police give you a crime reference number, which almost every home insurer wants before they handle a claim.
Try not to tidy up or repair anything big before the police have seen the scene. At the least, photograph the damage first, since insurers often ask for it. An accurate record of how things looked helps both the police and your insurer.
Contact your insurer
Call your insurer as soon as you reasonably can, with the crime reference number to hand. Ask what they need from you, because each policy differs. Photos of the damage are almost always wanted before repairs begin, and some policies set a time limit for a claim.
If a forced door or window cannot stay open overnight, most insurers accept an emergency fix. That is because security comes first. Keep the invoice, since it usually forms part of the claim.
Secure the property
Deal with the point of entry first, even if only for now, because it is the quickest route back in. A temporary board-up, or a working lock on a damaged door, buys time until a full repair. While a locksmith is already there, check every other outside door and window on the same visit. A burglar who forced one entry point may have tested others.
Replace the locks
Any lock that the burglar forced, drilled, snapped or damaged needs replacing. A damaged lock does not regain its full strength once the door is shut again. This is also a good point to upgrade rather than just refit what was there before.
Perhaps the old lock did not meet the BS3621 standard. Perhaps a uPVC door had a euro cylinder that was not anti-snap rated. A burglary repair is the natural moment to fix that too.
See burglary repair for what a full post-break-in visit covers, and lock change for simple replacements. Our guide on how to tell whether a lock needs repair or replacement helps if you are unsure which one your door needs.
Take stock of what’s missing
Once the door is secure, go through the property step by step. Note what is missing, ideally room by room, and photograph the damage as you go. Include forced doors, broken glass and disturbed rooms.
This record supports both the police report and the insurance claim. Moreover, it is far easier to make in the days after the burglary than to rebuild weeks later.
Looking after yourself, too
A break-in is unsettling even when nothing valuable went missing, so be kind to yourself. Feeling uneasy in your own home afterwards is a normal reaction, not an overreaction. There is no fixed time for it to pass.
Some people feel steadier once the locks change. Others take longer, although either is fine. If the burglary leaves you feeling unsafe day to day, mention it to your GP or to a support service such as Victim Support.
Arranging a burglary repair
If you need a door secured or locks replaced, tell us what the burglar forced and roughly where you are. We give you a clear price before travelling. Request a call back or use the enquiry form to start, and see how to check a locksmith if you are arranging this under pressure and want to be sure who you are dealing with.
If you lose your keys in the break-in, our post on what to do when you are locked out of your flat may help. For local cover, see our Bayswater locksmith page.