Burglaries from households in England and Wales increased by 14% during the year 2010-11 according to the British Crime Survey. This surge will be worrying for homeowners, as being the target of burglary can be extremely distressing and expensive. If your home is burgled it’s worth following these 10 easy steps. They’ll help you handle a burglary as well as make a successful insurance claim with a loss assessor.
1. If you find that you’ve been burgled, always call the police right away.You need their documents as proof to process a claim in many cases.
2. Call the police from a mobile or from the neighbour’s home if you feel the burglars might still be within your property.
3. Never try to clear up till after the police have been and finished the investigations. They are likely to send specialist officers who will take photographs and look for fingerprints, so it’s important to protect as much proof as you can. They will additionally provide you with a crime number, that you’ll need when making your insurance claim.
4. Check your home carefully for missing and broken merchandise. Draw up a list of everything and then try to include makes, models and serial numbers if you’re able to. It is also useful to include any kind of purchase receipts if you have them.
5. Burglars often search for bank and charge cards. If yours have been stolen be sure you call your bank’s crisis numbers and have them cancelled. These services are usually available 24-hours a day, One year a year so there’s no need to wait until office hours.
6. Check whether any other important paperwork are missing, like your current passport or driving license. Should they be then you may need to contact the appropriate authorities. To find their contact details it really is worth searching online for the right numbers to call up.
7. Speak to your insurance companies and let them know about your burglary. Remember to have your crime number to hand once you call. They will then begin your insurance claim.
8. If the cops have completed their enquiries, your own insurance company may set up to board up any broken home windows or replace broken locks. If your coverage does not include this emergency cover, you’ll have to arrange this on you own. As always you need to use trustworthy tradespeople, to find websites like Checkatrade useful, where one can study reviews of their service left by other customers in your local area.
9. Get in touch with professional insurance loss assessors. If required, they can offer help by providing authorized contractors and locksmiths in order to secure your home. They will additionally help in making a comprehensive list of all your stolen & damaged possessions. They will then fully handle your case all through your claim, helping to make sure that you get a complete and also satisfactory settlement from your insurers.
10. Lastly, review your protection plans. In the event you haven’t already, consider fitting locks to your home windows and security bolts to your doors. You could also think about installing a security alarm.