What to Do After a Burglary: Safety, Police, Insurance, Identity Theft, and Recovery (2026)

If you think someone may still be inside your home, do not enter or confront them. Move to a safe place and call 911 or your local emergency number. Wait for law enforcement to say it is safe to enter. Property can be replaced; your first job is to keep people safe.

After the immediate danger passes, use this checklist to protect evidence, report the burglary, secure the property, document losses, contact insurance, protect stolen identity documents, recover camera and alarm records, and rebuild the security plan. Local police, insurance, landlord, and legal requirements vary, so follow the instructions given for your case.

After-burglary recovery at a glance

1. Stay outside and call for help

Signs of entry can include a damaged door or window, an open door that should be locked, unusual noise, a triggered alarm, or a camera event showing an unknown person. Do not walk through the home to check. Move to a neighbor, locked vehicle, business, or other safe location and call 911 or the local emergency number.

Give the address first, describe why you think a burglary occurred, say whether anyone may be inside, and follow the dispatcher’s instructions. The national 911 guidance explains what to expect when calling.

If you are inside when you become aware of an intruder, avoid confrontation. Leave if you can do so safely. If you cannot, move to the safest available location, lock or barricade if possible, silence avoidable noise, call emergency services, and follow the dispatcher’s directions. Do not leave safety to protect or retrieve property.

2. Preserve the scene until police release it

Do not clean, repair, move objects, straighten rooms, or handle likely entry points before law enforcement says the scene is released. Keep other residents, children, visitors, and pets away from disturbed areas.

From a safe location, write down what you first noticed, when the property was last known secure, when you arrived, alarms or alerts received, vehicles or people observed, and anything you touched. Do not post details or footage publicly while the investigation is active unless police advise otherwise.

Ask for the agency name, officer’s name or badge number, report or case number, and instructions for adding missing property discovered later. The first list may be incomplete.

3. Preserve digital evidence before it expires

Save relevant doorbell, camera, alarm, lock, access, router, and smart-home records as soon as police allow. Export original clips rather than screen-recording them when the system supports download. Preserve a wider time window before and after the event.

Record the camera name, event time, timezone, file name, export time, account used, and where the copy is stored. Keep an untouched copy. Do not edit the original or add labels inside the file. Give evidence to police through the method they request.

Ask neighbors or a property manager whether their cameras cover the approach or exit route, but do not pressure them to post footage publicly. Share the case number and police contact method.

4. Secure the property after release

Once law enforcement releases the scene, stop immediate re-entry risk. Board or repair broken openings, rekey or replace compromised locks, retrieve spare keys that may be exposed, reset stolen or shared access credentials, and improve exterior lighting where needed.

Photograph damage before temporary and permanent repairs. Keep receipts, estimates, and contractor details. If you rent, contact the landlord or property manager promptly and get approval for structural or lock changes when required.

Do not rush into a large security purchase while shaken. Make the property safe tonight, then use the incident map to choose permanent work.

5. Build a loss and damage inventory

Work room by room after police permit entry. For each missing or damaged item, record the description, brand, model, serial number, purchase date, purchase price, estimated replacement cost, ownership, and supporting file. Useful records include receipts, card statements, order emails, registrations, photos, videos, warranties, manuals, and original packaging.

Separate stolen items from structural damage, cleanup, emergency lodging, temporary repairs, and permanent repairs. Do not throw away damaged property until the insurer or police says it is no longer needed.

Keep a running supplement list. People often notice missing documents, jewelry, tools, storage media, keys, and small electronics after the initial walkthrough.

6. Contact the insurer and follow the claim process

Notify the home, renter, vehicle, or relevant insurer promptly. Provide the police report or case number, initial inventory, photos, temporary-repair records, and contact details requested. Ask what emergency expenses are covered, whether the adjuster must inspect before permanent repair, and how to submit later-discovered losses.

Keep a claim log with date, time, representative, phone number, claim number, what was requested, what you sent, and the next deadline. Save copies of every document and avoid relying on verbal instructions alone.

Coverage, deductibles, limits, exclusions, depreciation, replacement-cost rules, and proof requirements differ. Use the policy and adjuster instructions for your claim.

7. Protect stolen identities, keys, and digital accounts

If passports, licenses, Social Security cards, checks, bank cards, tax records, mail, spare keys, phones, computers, or storage devices were taken, treat the burglary as a possible identity and account risk.

Contact the issuing agency or company, secure bank and card accounts, change passwords for exposed devices and password managers, sign out lost sessions, and replace recovery methods. Use IdentityTheft.gov for an FTC identity-theft report and personal recovery plan if personal information is misused or at risk.

Consider a fraud alert or credit freeze based on FTC guidance and your circumstances. Document every report, confirmation number, freeze PIN or recovery method, and replacement request.

8. Recover or disable stolen connected devices

Use the manufacturer’s lost-device tools for phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, hubs, and trackers. Mark devices lost, lock or erase when appropriate, revoke sessions, remove payment access, rotate passwords, and change any alarm, lock, Wi-Fi, garage, or smart-home credentials stored on them.

Do not attempt to recover a tracked item yourself. Give location data and device details to law enforcement. A live location does not tell you who has the item or whether approaching is safe.

9. Review how the security layers performed

Build a simple incident timeline from the first approach through discovery. Mark the likely route, entry method, sensor events, alarm state, siren, notification, camera view, recording, monitoring contact, lock event, and outage. Separate known facts from assumptions.

Ask:

• Was the system armed in the intended mode?
• Was the entry point covered by a working sensor?
• Did the local siren sound?
• Did alerts reach a person who could act?
• Did monitoring receive and handle the event as documented?
• Did cameras capture useful identification or only a distant overview?
• Were clips retained and exportable?
• Did power, internet, Wi-Fi, or a dead battery remove a layer?

Contact the provider for event history and a technical review if applicable. Do not let a sales call replace a written incident analysis.

10. Fix the failed layer, then test it

Use the incident map to decide whether the first fix is a stronger strike and frame, a repaired window, a door or glass sensor, better lock control, a camera moved to an identification zone, lighting, trimmed vegetation, backup communication, longer clip retention, or a clearer response plan.

Do not add devices without assigning a job. A new camera should cover a defined route and pass day/night identification tests. A new sensor should have an owner, mode, alert, and response. A new monitoring plan should have written escalation and cancellation terms.

For a DIY alarm path, review the Abode Smart Security Kit and current Abode plans. Confirm the exact sensors, cameras, cellular backup, automations, and monitoring required for the repaired property map.

11. Support emotional recovery

A burglary can affect sleep, concentration, comfort at home, and a person’s sense of control. Reactions differ across household members and may change over time. Avoid telling someone they should be “over it” because no one was physically hurt.

The FBI’s guidance on coping with crime victimization describes common reactions and support. Local victim-service agencies, healthcare providers, counselors, employers, schools, community groups, and trusted people may also help.

Choose security changes that restore useful control without turning the home into a source of constant alerts and surveillance.

12. Create a 30-day follow-up file

Keep the police report, claim, loss inventory, receipts, evidence log, identity-theft records, repairs, security test, and communications together. Set reminders for:

• adding later-discovered property to the police and insurance records;
• checking claim deadlines and adjuster requests;
• reviewing bank, card, and credit activity;
• following up on replacement IDs and keys;
• testing repairs, alarms, locks, cameras, and backup power;
• reviewing household access and emergency contacts; and
• checking how household members are coping.

30-minute post-repair security acceptance test

1. Minutes 0–5: Walk the incident route and verify each repaired door, window, lock, and light.
2. Minutes 5–10: Put monitoring in test mode if needed, open the repaired entry, and confirm sensor, siren, alert, and event name.
3. Minutes 10–15: Walk the camera route in daylight and low light; check identification detail at the useful distance.
4. Minutes 15–20: Trigger, find, export, and play one clip; confirm timestamp and retention.
5. Minutes 20–25: Disable broadband and confirm the documented local alarm, recording, cellular, and notification behavior.
6. Minutes 25–30: Review named users, emergency contacts, backup entry, recovery records, and the next test date.

Related security guides

• How to prevent a home invasion
• Security camera planning and evidence coverage
• Burglary prevention strategies
• The financial and emotional cost of burglary

Frequently asked questions

Should I enter my home if I see signs of a burglary?

No. Move to a safe place, call 911 or the local emergency number, and wait for law enforcement to clear the property.

When should I start cleaning or repairing?

Wait until law enforcement releases the scene. Photograph damage and follow police, insurer, landlord, and adjuster instructions before discarding or permanently repairing evidence.

What digital records should I save?

Preserve relevant camera clips, alarm and sensor history, lock events, access logs, and timestamps. Keep untouched originals and provide them through the method police request.

What if identity documents were stolen?

Report them to the issuing agency, secure affected accounts, and use IdentityTheft.gov for an FTC report and recovery plan when personal information is misused or at risk.

Isabelle Landau

Growing up with Law and Order and CSI shows taught Isabelle Landau one thing: if people back then had high-quality home security systems, those series would have been way shorter. In our modern world, technology helps us keep burglars away easily, and this is what Izzy studies and writes about: alarm systems, home security, protection systems, and more.