Guide
What to Do After a Burglary: The First Hours, Days and Weeks Ahead
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Start Here: The First Hour
Before you do anything else, decide whether the burglar could still be on the premises, because that decides who you ring. A yes, or a not sure, is a 999 call. A clear no means reporting through 101 or online. Get that call made and the rest of the first hour reduces to five plain steps, set out at the end of this section.
If You Think Someone Is Still Inside
If the intruder might still be there, keep out of the house and call 999. People sometimes realise only after they have walked in; turning round and leaving is still right. Wait somewhere safe and follow the operator's instructions.
When the House Is Empty and the Burglar Has Gone
With the house empty, use 101 or the police website. Ask for the crime reference number before the call ends, and be ready to say which rooms were entered.
What Not to Do Until the Police Have Been
Keep away from the damaged door or window and from drawers or boxes that were emptied. Take a photograph of each disturbed area first.
First-hour checklist
- Call 999 or 101, depending on whether anyone may remain.
- Keep everyone out of the rooms that were disturbed.
- List the things you can already see are missing.
- Ask your bank to block any stolen cards.
- Make doors and windows secure after police give permission.
What You Can Use as Normal, and What the Police Need You to Leave Alone
The useful half of the rule first: door handles and light switches away from the entry point can be used normally. That is police guidance, and it is the same whether or not a crime scene investigator is booked to attend. The half that asks something of you is short. Keep the entry point untouched until police say work can begin; where possible, avoid touching or cleaning fluids such as blood, footprints, and anything handled by whoever was responsible.
| Use normally | Leave untouched |
|---|---|
| Lights and switches | Forced locks, doors and windows |
| Handles on doors other than the entry point | Footprints inside or on sills |
| Kettle, sink, toilet | Fluids |
| Furniture in rooms not entered | Jewellery boxes, drawers or bags they went through |
What You Can Touch, and Use as Normal
Nobody expects you to keep the house dark and the doors shut. Ordinary household surfaces are low value as evidence because everyone touches them.
Until the Police Have Finished, What to Leave Untouched
These are the ones the intruder touched and your family does not. If you cannot tell whether something was handled, leave it and tell the officer.
If You Have To, How to Move Things Safely
Once police allow movement, photograph, then glove up. Police guidance singles out smooth or shiny surfaces such as plastic, metal, glass and treated wood, because marks survive on them. A phone photo is good enough, and so are rubber gloves from under the sink.
Reporting the Burglary: Getting Your Crime Reference Number
Everything downstream depends on the crime reference number, starting with the insurance claim, where it is normally the first question asked. It ties your claim to a police record and shows the theft was reported. Make getting it a fixed part of the report, whichever route you use, and note it somewhere you will find again. No standard time for it to arrive is published, so if you do not have one, ask.
Online, 999 or 101: Which Route Applies
- 999: while it is happening, or if the suspect is still at the property.
- 101: for a burglary that is over and the house is empty.
- Online: the same situations as 101, handled by the same control room in the same way, according to police guidance.
A station front desk, where one operates, is the fourth door into the same system.
What Happens After Reporting It
Each report is assessed against four things: the victim's vulnerability, the seriousness of the offence, the chance of solving it and the best use of police resources. If the decision is not to investigate, they will contact you and explain. If it is to investigate, an officer is assigned to the case and will keep you updated. Write the officer's name next to the reference number.
Is It Possible to Repair the Door Before the Insurer Has Seen It?
Photographs alone do not mean you can repair the door now; wait for police permission. Once work is allowed, photograph the damage before anyone begins repairs to secure the home. As for paying for it, the Association of British Insurers states in its theft guidance that "Your insurance policy will usually cover you for any emergency repairs you make following an incident." It says usually for a reason; check your own cover, as it varies by policy. A separate page explains how to board up a damaged door or window.
Three steps, in order 1. Photograph the door, lock and frame. 2. Make it secure after police say work can begin. 3. Keep receipts and any removed parts.
Photograph the Damage Before Anything Gets Repaired
Photograph from a distance so the location is obvious, then close up on the lock, the frame and any marks. Do it before anyone starts work and again afterwards.
What Your Policy Usually Covers for Emergency Repairs
Generally, work needed to make the property secure and weathertight: boarding, a replacement lock, a window made to close. Home emergency cover, where you have it, may have its own helpline and preferred contractor, so call first and ask what your policy needs from you.
Keep the Paperwork Your Insurer Will Ask For
Gather the crime reference number, photographs, receipts and a record of conversations, with names and dates. Keep any damaged lock in a bag; it is physical evidence of the forced entry.
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.
Again, Making Your Home Secure
By tonight you want two things: an entrance that locks properly, and certainty about every key to the house. People tend to treat these as one job, but they are different. Repairing the damage deals with the door. Restoring control of the keys deals with who can get back in, and that is the part that is easy to overlook in the rush. The guide to burglary damage repairs explains the first job in detail.
Why Changing the Locks Matters More Than the Door That Was Damaged
Is it mechanically sound? Does anyone outside the household hold a working key? A forced door answers the first; only a new cylinder answers the second. With uPVC and composite doors, that usually means swapping the euro cylinder rather than the whole multipoint lock. See how people replace the locks for more.
Who Else Holds One, and Missing Spare Keys
Gather every key, front, back and side, and match each to a person. Where a key sat on a hook by the door, in a drawer or in a coat now missing, assume it may have gone with the burglar.
If You Rent: Telling Your Landlord or Housing Provider
Report the burglary to your landlord or housing provider as soon as the police have it. They normally own the door, windows and locks; you insure your own belongings. Agree any lock change with them, ideally in writing, so nobody is left without a key.
As a Victim, Your Rights Under the Victims' Code
Reporting a crime in England and Wales gives you twelve rights under the Victims' Code, and those rights begin the moment the report is made. A burglary qualifies like any other crime. Victim Support provides a clear summary of the Code. The useful thing to know is which of the twelve help after a break-in, because each gives you a specific entitlement rather than a hope that someone will call.
The Rights Which Matter Most Right Now
Start with the right to have the crime recorded without unjustified delay. Alongside it sits the right to information when you report, which is where your crime reference number comes from. The right to be referred to support services, with help suited to you, is the least known. The right to information about the investigation backs up any request for an update. Finally, the right to make a complaint applies if any of these are not met. Separately, the Victims' Right to Review scheme lets you ask for certain decisions not to proceed to be reconsidered.
How to Be Referred to Victim Support
The police can refer you to Victim Support, and you can also contact it on your own. It is a free service, independent of the police, offering emotional and practical support, including help with insurance forms and, in some areas, help to make a property secure. Check its website for current contact details.
In the Weeks After: Feeling Settled at Home Again
It is ordinary for the house to take longer to feel normal than the practical jobs take to finish. The lock gets changed and the claim goes in, and the rest follows in its own time; that is not a sign of anything. Below is what is available if you want it, and some practical changes around the house that help it feel settled, written without pressure in either direction.
Support Available to You and How to Get It
Anyone affected by a burglary can contact Victim Support, regardless of what was taken or whether anyone was harmed. Other household members, including children, can be part of it. The call does not have to be about feelings; asking for help with paperwork is a common way in. Independent Age is available for older readers, and a GP is another option.
Practical Changes to Help a House Feel Settled
Focus on the doors, windows and keys rather than new equipment. Replacing a forced lock removes a reminder that a repair leaves behind. Checking each external door and window lock catches the one that quietly stopped being used. Accounting for every key closes a loose end. There is no schedule for this. For more on lock standards, read which door locks meet insurance requirements and the anti-snap cylinders guide.
Getting Your Home Secure in Castleford
J.K Locksmiths Castleford boards damaged doors and windows, repairs or replaces locks that have been forced, and changes cylinders where keys cannot be accounted for. Calls are taken 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. The engineers who carry out the work 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. The price is given on the call from what you describe, before any work begins.
Call 01977 210006
For work at night or at the weekend, read how an emergency locksmith call-out works, or talk to a Castleford locksmith.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to report a burglary to the police?
An insurance claim will often require you to have reported the burglary. Police reports commonly serve as evidence that a theft took place. Insurers also tend to ask for the crime reference number among their opening questions, so this detail is usually relevant from the start.
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?
Generally, emergency repairs to the door may be covered: the Association of British Insurers describes this as the usual position. Check your own insurance to establish the answer. The policy, its level of cover and the insurer all matter when applying that guidance to your situation.
How do I find someone trustworthy to make the house secure?
Choose a business that discusses costs on the phone and explains its out-of-hours charges clearly. If the amount changes, you should be told before work starts. These are useful things to establish when arranging for a qualified locksmith to make the house secure.
Can I claim criminal injuries compensation for stolen property?
No, theft of your possessions does not qualify for criminal injuries compensation. Belongings taken during a break-in cannot be claimed for under that scheme. For the property loss described in the question, this is not an available route to a compensation payment.
I rent my home. Who pays for the broken door and lock?
Responsibility for the external door and its lock usually rests with your landlord. Windows are normally included in that responsibility too. Your contents cover deals with belongings, so distinguish the damage to those parts of the property from the loss of anything you keep inside.
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