What Do You Do If Your House Gets Broken Into?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  1. Leave the house and call 911.
  2. Don’t touch anything.
  3. Wait in a safe place.
  4. Take inventory of the house break-in.
  5. Call the insurance company.
  6. View video footage of break-in.
  7. Take care of the kids and fur babies.
  8. Clean up all signs of the break-in.

What houses are broken into the most?

  • Front door: 34% of burglars twist the doorknob and walk right in.
  • First-floor windows: 23% use a first-floor open window to break into your home.
  • Back door: 22% come in through the back door.
  • Garage doors: 9% gain entrance through the garage.

What is the best thing to do if someone breaks into your house?

  • STEP 1: Protect your home by making it less appealing to potential burglars. …
  • STEP 2: Have a code word that your family will know about. …
  • STEP 3: Designate a room in the house as your safe room. …
  • STEP 4: Act quickly and gather in the safe room. …
  • STEP 5: Call 911.

What to do if you hear an intruder in your house?

  1. Quickly verify their presence. Time is of the essence, so be quick about checking. …
  2. Stay calm. …
  3. Determine if you can escape. …
  4. Stay put if you can’t escape. …
  5. Call the police. …
  6. Keep quiet and follow instructions. …
  7. Take notes immediately afterward.

How do you scare burglars away?

  1. Home security system. Do you know what most of these items have in common? …
  2. Get a dog. …
  3. Have your neighbors check on things while you’re away. …
  4. Secure your windows. …
  5. Motion lights. …
  6. Smart locks. …
  7. Doorbell camera. …
  8. Put in a front gate.

What are burglars most afraid of?

Burglar deterrent audio or sound would scare away those thieves.

Burglars hate attention

. That’s the main reason why burglar alarms and sirens are effective on deterring thieves. Statistics show that 46% of burglars would tend to avoid homes with alarm systems or sirens.

Does leaving a light on at night deter burglars?

Similarly,

your 24-hour outdoor light doesn’t really deter burglars

. … A study by the Office for National Statistics also found that 60% of burglaries take place during the day. More often than not, your constant night-time lights won’t make a difference to whether or not you’re burgled.

Is it safer to live in a cul de sac?

1. Safety. Because of its reduced presence to thru-traffic in a neighborhood, living in a

cul de sac is safer on several levels

. From the perspective of burglary, theft, or vandalism, criminals will prefer residential targets with an easier escape route—something a cul de sac does not allow for quite as easily.

Should you call 911 if you think someone is in your house?


You should always dial 911 immediately if you sense an intruder in your home

so the emergency operator can contact the police and dispatch them to help you. When you make this call, again, it’s important to stay calm and whisper, so the intruder doesn’t hear you.

How do you stop burglars from targeting your home?

  1. #1. Install Home Security Cameras. …
  2. #2. Home Security Checks. …
  3. #3. Get a Big Barking Dog. …
  4. #4. Install Motion-Activated Floodlights. …
  5. #5. Trim Back Bushes and Shrubs. …
  6. #6. Lock Everything Up. …
  7. #7. Use Indoor Lights with Random Timers. …
  8. #8.

Where should I hide if someone breaks into my house?

Find a logical place to hide.

Lock it (if possible) quietly. If you have creaky doors, don’t hide in a closet. Instead,

hide under a bed

, in a cupboard if you’re small, in a shower, or even in a dog cage and cover it with a blanket.

How do burglars mark houses?


Flyers

. Not only is having a bunch of flyers or stickers stuck in your door a nuisance, it can also serve as a way for burglars to mark your home. Many burglars will stick flyers or stickers on homes that they think are unoccupied to serve as an indicator for their accomplices that the home is unguarded.

What really puts burglars off?

Burglars are most likely to be put off breaking into homes by

CCTV cameras and barking dogs

, according to a panel of former criminals. … They also named loud barking dogs, strong heavy doors, a TV being switched on and locked UPVC windows as the next most likely to put them off breaking into a home.

How do you trick a burglar?

  1. Gardening. Keep your lawn and garden tidy. …
  2. Windowsills. Put some WD40 on your windowsills to make it harder for burglars to climb inside your home.
  3. Keys. Install a deadlock and make sure burglars can see it on your front door. …
  4. Dog barking. …
  5. Lights, cameras and alarms. …
  6. Valuables.

What attracts burglars to homes?


Doors and windows with vulnerable locks

are a common access point for burglars. If loosening or bypassing them is simple, then it makes getting inside easy. Garage doors and pet doors are both open passages where burglars can get through quickly, too. Quick departure is another plus for burglars.

Where do burglars look first?

The first areas burglars look for valuables are

master bedrooms, living rooms, studies, and offices

. Burglars usually look first in places where people often keep or hide their valuables like drawers, dressers, closets, cupboards, safes, pots, pans, vases, refrigerators, and freezers.

Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.