The holiday season is typically a time of joy and goodwill. Unfortunately, it may also be tragic because more house invasions occur during this season as families travel or spend more time away from home.
You won’t want to make the home window replacement if you return home to find some of your priceless belongings missing and smashed windows or a damaged door. To regain peace of mind, you must also get in touch with your insurance provider and the neighborhood police.
The following actions will help you and your family recover more quickly from a break-in:
- Document What’s Missing
Making a list of the items missing from your home is one action you may take while you wait for the police.
Note any missing things, along with an estimate of their value. It is a good idea to inventory any valuables you have at home, such as jewels, antiques, and fine china, so you can determine their exact value if they are ever stolen or destroyed.
Documenting any harm to your property caused by the break-in is another action you should take. Are there any windows that are broken? Is the front entry door broken? Was the property damaged in any other ways?
- Secure the Affected Area
Even after discovering the source of your broken windows, there is still time to fix the window. As a temporary solution, you must first block off the troubled region.
You should try to get everyone out of the room with the broken window, closing the door behind you. Notify the adults in the house and request assistance keeping any youngsters or dogs away if there isn’t a door to seal off the area conveniently.
You can start securing the damaged window once everyone has left the area. Make sure your shoes are robust enough to resist shattered glass and keep them on. Put heavy-duty gloves on before you do anything near the broken house window.
You’ll want to take every precaution to keep yourself safe because you’ll need to pick up any stray bits of glass to clear the area.
- Secure Your Home from Future Break-Ins
To help stop future break-ins, you might plan some house improvements in addition to the essential roofing repairs. For instance, you might install new, energy-efficient windows to replace your old ones.
This is a wise decision if your windows are more than ten years old. Another technique to lower the risk of a break-in is to upgrade your entry doors.
You can also equip your property with innovative technologies to deter unwanted guests. You can watch who enters and goes from your house with smart doorbells equipped with cameras.
You can switch on lights or the television to give the idea that someone is home while you’re away on vacation.
- Notify Your Insurance Company
You must contact your insurance provider within 24 hours of a break-in or burglary to file an insurance claim. Most homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies provide some level of coverage for lost or stolen goods.
However, you might need to arrange for an insurance claims investigator to come to your house and personally evaluate the damage.