Being the victim of a home burglary can be an extremely trying situation. One feels unsafe, scared, and violated when their home is compromised. The thought of losing your belongings and items that are both emotionally and monetarily dear can be extremely difficult.
However, in any case there are certain steps that should be taken in case of a home burglary and certain guidelines that need to be followed. Here is a look at the things that need to be done, if ever you find yourself the victim of a home burglary.
Do not try to clean up the mess
If you were at home when the burglary happened or if you were outside, in either case you should not attempt to clean the house or take care of mess created. It is important to leave things as they are and inform the authorities, as this will help the police to collect fingerprints and other evidences that might help them track down the offender. Trying to clean the mess will only lead to destruction of evidence. If you were outside when the burglary took place, then it is better you stay inside your car or head to a neighbor’s place instead of going into the house, since there is a slight chance that the burglars could still be present inside.
Call the authorities
Once you find yourself in a secure location, you should immediately call the police and once they arrive you should file a report with them within 24 hours. You will need to produce this report to the insurance provider in order to validate your home insurance claim. The insurance company may send an adjuster to your house, in which case it is required that you stay at some other location until the work of the adjuster is done.
Assess the damage
Once the police is done collecting evidences in the form of fingerprints and photos, you need to start assessing the loss. This is not an easy task as it can be an extremely traumatic experience to find out things dear to you that were stolen or damaged. It is at these times that preparing a list of items can help you pinpoint the items that are missing, as it is difficult to do so without a reference in a state of emotional turmoil. You will need to prepare two lists, one of stolen goods and the other of damaged goods and hand over one copy to the police and another to the insurance company.
Once you start over and make aesthetic changes to your home make sure to put in place a strong home security system to help you avert such misfortunes in future. If you have questions regarding your home insurance policy, and how it pertains to a potential home burglary, contact the Florida insurance agents at Anderson & Associates in Manatee County, today.
