What To Do After A Break-in At Your Washington, DC Home?
It’s every family’s nightmare. You pull up the driveway and find your door has been forced open or a window broken. You can’t think clearly, fretting about what’s been taken and the harm done to your home. What can you do? Remain calm, take a deep breath, and follow these tips after a break-in at your Washington, DC home.
Once the dust settles, see how to better prevent intrusions with the latest home security system.
Initial Steps After A Break-In
Discovering your house has been burglarized is unsettling. You might be angry, frightened, or simply in shock. Whatever the case, it’s essential to stay level-headed by doing the following:
- Stay outside. It’s only natural that you want to run inside to assess the situation. Don’t. There’s a risk someone is still present.
- Call the police right away. Keep yourself and loved ones safely away and wait until first responders arrive. Work with the authorities to make an official report.
- Leave everything as is. Let the police secure the scene and gather evidence.
What Are The Next Steps?
You’ve conversed with the police, and your home is clear to re-enter. What should you do next?
- Cancel credit cards and call banks . If a thief grabbed purses, wallets, or personal documents, you’ll wish to notify your credit card issuers and banks at once. It’s smart to put a hold on accounts and your credit. You might also request a fraud alert with credit bureaus.
- Reach out to your insurer. Start the claims process with your insurance provider. You should do so within 24 hours of the incident.
- Take photos of the damage. Document broken windows, kicked-in doors, and any other damage you discover.
- Document what was taken. Write down what’s missing and provide it to the authorities and your insurance provider.
- Secure your house. Restore your home’s security by installing new locks, fixing windows and doors, and taking care of other damage. If you utilize a keypad lock system, now is the time to reset your access codes.
Tidying up will bring you some peace and get life back to normal. After you do so, it’s time to think about improving your home security.
Assess And Improve The Security At Your Washington, DC Home
How can you keep this from occuring again? Your starting point should be to take stock of your home security. A modern system with these tools will go a long way to better protecting your home:
- Security cameras: Almost all trespassers will reconsider their plans when they see video cameras. Newer outdoor and doorbell cameras give you advanced features like AI-powered smart detection. Whenever there’s questionable activity, you’ll receive an alert.
- Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (particularly those on the ground level) should be shielded by glass-break or contact sensors.
- Smart locks and lighting: These automated devices can be managed remotely. Are you worried you forgot to lock your door? You can confirm and activate the lock from your smartphone. You can even have inside lights switch on if a camera detects someone lurking.
If you are searching for a modern system that notifies you and monitoring staff whenever a device is triggered, consider a package from ADT, your home security professionals. You’ll enjoy the smartphone access, round-the-clock monitoring, and advanced automation.
Avoid Break-Ins With The Leading Home Security Systems In Washington, DC
Stop burglaries at your property with an ADT home security package in Washington, DC from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As an authorized ADT dealer, we install advanced equipment from the top name in the business. Explore your options by reaching out to (202) 221-4066 or filling out our form today.