Burglaries from homes in England and Wales increased by 14% in the course of the year 2010-11 according to the British Crime Survey. This increase will be worrying for homeowners, because being the victim of burglary can be extremely distressing and costly. If your house is burgled it’s worth pursuing these 10 easy steps. They’ll enable you to cope with a burglary and also make a profitable insurance policy claim with a loss assessor.
1. If you find that you’ve been burgled, always call the authorities straight away.You need their documents as proof to process a claim in many cases.
2. Call the police from a mobile or from a neighbour’s home if you feel the burglars may still be inside your property.
3. Never try to clear up until after the cops have been and finished their research. They are prone to deliver specialist officers who’ll take photographs and look for fingerprints, so it’s important to preserve as much evidence as possible. They will additionally provide you with a crime number, that you’ll need when doing your insurance claim.
4. Check your home thoroughly for missing and damaged merchandise. Draft a summary of everything and then try to include makes, models and serial numbers if you’re able to. It is also useful to include any sort of purchase receipts if you have them.
5. Burglars often search for bank and credit cards. If yours have been stolen be sure to call your bank’s emergency numbers and have all of them cancelled. These services are usually accessible 24-hours a day, 365 days a year so there’s no need to wait until office hours.
6. Check if any other essential paperwork are absent, like your current passport or driving license. Should they be then you’ll need to contact the relevant authorities. To find the contact details it’s worth searching online for the best numbers to call.
7. Speak to your insurers and let them know about your burglary. Don’t forget to have your personal crime number to hand once you contact. They will then start your insurance claim.
8. If the police have finished their enquiries, your own insurance company may set up to board up any shattered home windows or replace broken locks. If your policy does not include this particular emergency cover, you will have to arrange this on you own. As always it’s important to use trustworthy tradespeople, to find websites such as Checkatrade useful, where one can study reviews of their service left by other customers in your local area.
9. Contact professional insurance loss assessors. If required, they can offer help by providing authorized contractors and locksmiths in order to secure your property. They will additionally help in making a comprehensive list of all your taken & damaged possessions. They will then fully handle your case throughout your claim, helping to ensure that you get a complete and acceptable pay out out of your insurers.
10. Lastly, review your protection arrangements. In the event you haven’t already, consider fitting locks to your windows and security bolts on your doors. You might think about installing a burglar alarm.