Tips to help prepare for the worst if your home is ever broken into

Linzi Sheldon
·1 min read

No one wants to think about a home break-in, but if it happens, you want to make sure you have everything ready to maximize your insurance claim for your valuables.

First off, make sure you have photos of your valuables, for example, an expensive bicycle.

Make sure the photo is clear and recent showing the item’s condition.

Have a copy of your receipt saved, showing how much you paid for it.

Make sure that if your item has a serial number, you have a record of what that is.

Some people engrave their items. Marked property can be more difficult for a thief to resell.

All of these things really help maximize your claim to replace your item and help police investigate.

“That makes it easy for us to enter it as stolen. And so, if it does show up on a pawn shop or on an online site, we can definitely prove, ‘OK, this is John Smith’s bike here,’” said Tacoma Police Lieutenant Shawn Malott.

Commonly stolen items include:

  • Jewelry.

  • Electronics.

  • Tools.

  • Computers.

  • Guns and other sporting equipment.

So, it’s a good idea to have all the photos, information and paperwork in order for such tiems.

Remember, if you come home and you find your door open, your house broken into, police know it’s your instinct to go inside.

But they say call 911 first, in case the burglars are still in your home.