{"id":2979,"date":"2026-09-22T10:05:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indwe.co.za\/indwe-blog\/?p=2979"},"modified":"2026-09-22T10:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:05:28","slug":"what-to-do-after-home-break-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indwe.co.za\/indwe-blog\/what-to-do-after-home-break-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Your home has been broken into. What should you do next?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Discovering that someone has broken into your home can leave you unsure of what to do first. Do you go inside and see what is missing? Call your security company? Phone the police? Contact your insurer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first few minutes, the most important thing is not your television, laptop or damaged front door. It is making sure that you and the people around you are safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the immediate situation is under control, there are several practical steps that can make the aftermath easier to manage and help you prepare for a possible home insurance claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Don’t go inside until you know it’s safe<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A damaged lock, open window or forced gate can indicate that someone has been inside. What it cannot tell you is whether they have left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there is any reason to believe an intruder could still be on the property, stay somewhere safe rather than entering to investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there is an immediate threat or emergency, contact SAPS on 10111. You may also need to contact your armed-response or security provider if you have one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the property has been assessed and it is safe to enter, resist the instinct to immediately start tidying up. Damaged locks, doors, windows and disturbed areas may be relevant to both the police investigation and your insurance claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Report the break-in to SAPS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A home break-in should be reported to SAPS. If police attend the scene, they can take statements and register the case, or you can report the crime at your nearest police station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the case has been registered on the SAPS Crime Administration System, you will receive a CAS number. Keep this somewhere accessible, as it provides a reference for future enquiries about the criminal case and may also be required as part of your insurance claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Claims requirements differ between insurers and policies, so your advisor or insurer should confirm what applies to your particular claim, rather than relying on someone else’s experience of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Document what happened before you start cleaning up<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When it is safe to move around the property, photograph the damage and any areas that have been disturbed, paying particular attention to signs of forced entry. You can then work through the house carefully and begin making a list of possessions that appear to have been stolen or damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t expect yourself to remember everything immediately. Smaller items may only be noticed later, particularly if they aren’t things you use every day, so add to your record if you discover further losses after making your initial list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep photographs and information relating to the incident together so that it is easier to refer back to when dealing with SAPS, your security provider, your insurer or your insurance advisor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Contact your insurance advisor or insurer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Once the immediate safety and reporting steps have been dealt with, notify your insurance advisor or insurer about the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where having someone who understands your policy can make a difficult process easier to navigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your advisor can help you understand what your insurer requires, which documents may need to be submitted and what happens next in the claims process. Depending on the circumstances, an assessor, loss adjuster, or other service provider may also need to inspect damage or verify information relating to the loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avoid disposing of damaged property or arranging permanent repairs before establishing what your insurer requires, unless temporary action is necessary to prevent further loss or make the property safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most importantly, do not assume that because an item was stolen it will automatically be covered. Claims are assessed according to the cover provided by your particular policy, including its terms, conditions, limits and exclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is one of the reasons understanding your insurance before you need it matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Could you prove what you owned?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After a break-in, remembering exactly what was in a room can be surprisingly difficult, particularly when you’re already dealing with the disruption of what has happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Receipts and invoices can be useful when establishing what you owned, but they aren’t the only records worth keeping. Photographs taken around your home can provide a useful visual reference, while serial numbers and current valuations may be worth recording for certain possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A simple home inventory brings that information together. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but it should be updated from time to time and stored somewhere you can still access if paperwork or devices kept at home are stolen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping that record can make a future claim easier to navigate, but it can also reveal something that is easy to overlook: the value of everything inside your home may have changed considerably since you first arranged your insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Is your household contents cover still enough?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A burglary can also expose a less obvious problem: underinsurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think about what has entered your home since you last reviewed your household contents insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps you replaced your lounge suite. Bought new TVs. Upgraded laptops and phones. Added appliances. Invested in bicycles or sporting equipment. Bought jewellery. Changed the furniture in a few rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No single purchase may have seemed significant enough to trigger an insurance review, but together they can materially change the value of what you own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Household contents should generally be considered in terms of their current replacement value, subject to the basis of cover in your particular policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the total value of your household contents is significantly higher than the amount for which they are insured, you may be underinsured. Depending on your policy wording, this can affect how a claim is settled and potentially leave you responsible for part of the loss yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is much easier to have that conversation while everything is still sitting safely inside your home than to discover the gap after some of it has disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
7. What did the break-in tell you about your security?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Once the claim and immediate repairs are underway, look at the property again from a risk perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did the intruder get in? Was a particular door, window, gate or boundary vulnerable? Did an alarm or camera fail to work as expected? Has the way your household uses the property changed since your security was originally installed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A security review could include locks and access points, alarm systems, security gates, electric fencing, CCTV or smart-home security, outdoor lighting and the way access to the property is managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The answer is not necessarily to install every security device available. It is to understand where your vulnerabilities are and decide what is appropriate for your home and circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your insurance policy may also contain requirements relating to particular security measures. If you are making significant changes to your property’s security arrangements, speak to your insurance advisor so that you understand whether they have any implications for your cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Don’t wait for a break-in to find the gaps in your insurance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Insurance tends to sit quietly in the background when nothing is wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life, meanwhile, keeps changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You buy things. Replace things. Renovate. Move valuables around. Upgrade security. Change how rooms are used. Children grow up and acquire possessions of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over time, the home described by your insurance policy and the home you actually live in can become two different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why an insurance review should involve more than checking the premium once a year. It is an opportunity to look at what you own, what has changed and whether your cover still reflects your circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Good insurance advice also means asking these questions before a claim forces you to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When did you last look around your home and calculate what it would cost to replace what is inside it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Indwe advisor can help you review your household contents cover, understand your policy and identify potential gaps before you need to claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It starts with a conversation. It starts with Hello Indwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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