How to Recover from a Home Burglary

Recovering from a burglary can be an upsetting time, for you personally, for your entire family, and your neighbours around you. This is a perfectly natural feeling, particularly after the physical disruption in your home and the loss of the possessions you treasure.

As locksmiths, we have attended many homes after a burglary, and seen the effect it has on everyone involved. We know from this experience that there are many ways you can recover from the event and help set your home up to discourage repeat events from happening again in the future. Here are our top 3 recommendations for recovering after a burglary:

1. Change Your Locks

Broken windows generally indicate how a burglar gained entry in your home, however, there are many instances where you find a door simply pried open, or an old lock that has been picked easily. After a burglary, we recommend replacing all of the locks in your house, including doors, key windows, and garage locks. This is the perfect time to upgrade faulty and outdated locks, replacing them with secure, modern options that increase security in the home. We highly recommend consulting a locksmith for this process, as DIY options are often not secure enough and are easily breakable.

2. Claim Insurance

Once you know what has been taken and consulted with the police, it is important to contact your insurance and place a claim. The claim process can be lengthy, simply because of processing time, so the quicker you can start, the sooner you can recoup missing possessions and return your life to normal. You may also be able to cover the costs of locksmiths and alike clean up services, depending on your policy.

3. Re-assess Your Security

The burglary is no way your fault, but opportunist robbers will prey on homes that have weak security, easy entry points, and tempting items on display. Therefore, this is the perfect time to assess your security and implement peace of mind measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again. These can be:

Security cameras – a modern security camera offers you the ability to watch your home in real-time from an app on your phone, as well as warn off potential predators with alarms and warnings

Remove possible burglary triggers – look at the surrounds of your home and assess how a burglar may enter your home. This could be windows with easy access underneath them, climbable fences, and accessible tools to break doors and glass with. Remove these temptations from view as soon as you can.

Invest in a safe – everyone has valuables that are worth significant money for reselling and would leave you heartbroken if stolen. There are many options for safes, with varying sizes and security levels, that can be seamlessly integrated into your home and give you the ultimate peace of mind. Once again, we recommend consulting a locksmith to help integrate your safe, as we understand the best spots to hide them, and the most secure options available. You can also view our range of recommended safes by browsing our online Lock Shop or you can give us a call on 0411 700 072

If you’re recovering from a home burglary and are in Sydney’s North Shore, we can help you get back on your feet – just get in touch.