Woking Burglary Guide: What to Do in the First Hours, Days and Weeks

The police guidance allows light switches and door handles to be used as normal, and it is worth hearing twice. You can turn the lights on, open and close doors, use the kitchen and bathroom, and sit down. Investigators care about surfaces the intruder touched and your household does not, which is why a switch everyone uses tells them little and a forced window frame can tell them a lot. If you are not sure whether something was handled, leave it and mention it when the police attend.

Think in categories rather than rooms: fluids, marks on the floor or other surfaces, and anything the intruder plainly handled. In a house, that usually means:

• The point of entry: a forced door, a broken pane, a window frame with marks on it.
• Drawers and cupboards that were pulled out and emptied.
• A jewellery box or similar item picked up and put down.
• A gate, bin or garden furniture moved to climb on.
• Any marks on the floor near the entry point.

This is why the photograph comes first: once the scene is recorded, you can be practical about the rest. Police guidance does not set a standard wait before cleaning up, so ask when you report it and write down the answer.

Photograph first, then put on gloves before handling anything with a smooth surface. The police guidance gives that order, and lists smooth or shiny materials such as plastic, metal, glass and treated wood, because those hold marks that fabric or rough surfaces do not.

1. Photograph the disturbance as you found it.
2. Put on gloves; ordinary kitchen gloves are fine.
3. Move only what you need to, by the edges where possible.

A phone camera is all you need. Photograph the damage as well as the mess, because that picture is needed again when the door is repaired.

Photograph the damage first: that is a police instruction rather than a handy tip. Capture:

• The damaged door or window from a few steps back.
• Close-ups of the damage itself.
• The frame and the lock.
• Any marks on the surrounding wall or sill.
• A wider shot showing which door or window it is.

Take these before anyone touches it and again after any temporary work. Phone photos carry a date and time, which settles when the damage happened. One set of pictures serves the police, the insurer and whoever quotes for the repair.

According to the Association of British Insurers, policies usually cover emergency repairs made after an incident, but cover varies by insurer, policy and level of cover. Emergency repairs generally means making the property secure and weatherproof: boarding a broken pane or panel, refitting or replacing a forced lock, securing a window that no longer shuts. Home emergency cover is often an optional extra with its own helpline, and some policies require their own contractor, so check first and tell your insurer as soon as you reasonably can.

Questions to ask your insurer:

• Do I have home emergency cover, and does it include securing the property?
• Do I need to use your contractor, or can I arrange my own?
• What do you need from me to support the claim?

Whatever the answers, keep every receipt.

You need four things: the crime reference number, photographs, receipts, and a written note of who you spoke to and when. Insurers often ask for a police report as proof that a theft took place, and each item below has a job.

People forget the last one: if a lock is replaced, keep the old one until the claim settles. Put everything in one folder or phone album from day one.

Go room by room rather than relying on memory, and add to the list over several days. Record each item's make and model, rough age, and any serial number or distinguishing mark, since serial numbers let recovered property be returned. Proof of ownership often exists already: card statements, online order histories, warranty registrations and home photos that happen to show the item. Receipts may be requested for higher-value items. Keep adding for a fortnight, as things in drawers surface late, and pass new serial numbers to the police.

A loss adjuster assesses a claim on the insurer's behalf, and on a straightforward household claim most of that work is checking documents. An adjuster may be appointed on larger claims and may or may not visit. They will typically want to see:

• Proof the theft was reported to the police.
• Evidence of forced entry, or of how entry happened.
• Your list of what was taken.
• Whatever proof of ownership you have.

Photographs taken before the repair and the damaged lock kept in a bag answer the forced-entry question without relying on being believed. Some policies set conditions about locks on external doors and windows, and requirements vary by insurer, door type and policy, so read yours rather than guess.

The criminal injuries compensation scheme is for injury, not for stolen or damaged property. GOV.UK describes it as available to people who were physically or mentally injured, or who were the victim of sexual assault, and property loss is not on that list. A burglary while the house was empty is an insurance matter, but a householder who was present and hurt, physically or mentally, may be eligible. The crime must be reported to the police before applying, and claims usually have to be made within 2 years of the crime. Details are on GOV.UK.