How to File for a Burglary Insurance Claim

Citizens Insurance

It’s every homeowner’s nightmare to have their home broken into. Aside from the possessions stolen, it will also instill trauma and a painful process of filing for an insurance claim. It can be tricky to prove to your insurer that you lost all the valuables you declare. So for this, we discussed some burglary insurance claims advice to make the process more bearable.

First: call the police

Before you think of reimbursing all the lost items to your insurance company, you should call the police first. Theft is a crime and even if the thieve can’t be caught, an incident report is necessary when filing for an insurance claim.

Besides, it will raise suspicion to your insurance company if you didn’t get the authorities involved. They will likely suspect you of attempting insurance fraud.

Call your insurance company

Knowing how to file an insurance claim for burglary starts by calling your insurer. Make sure that you follow the succeeding steps after doing the call.

Don’t touch anything yet

Aside from ruining the crime scene, you will also reduce your chance of winning an insurance claim. The insurer may think that you’re trying to rig something.

Document

Take pictures and videos of the scene so your insurance company can use it as the basis for your claim. This can be compared to the previous photos and videos of your home if there are any.

Always save a duplicate of the files just in case something happens. This will give a better standing if the insurance company tries to deny your claim.

You should list down all the items that you lost and secure any remaining receipts. Insurance companies will surely ask for receipts to prove that the item actually existed.

Call your bank

Right after finding out about the burglary, call your bank and have your accounts frozen from the meantime. This is crucial, especially if the thieve got a hand of your credit card and checkbooks.

Check surveillance

Any evidence that will prove that the burglary is real will help your claim. It will also help track the criminal so s/he will be put to justice. If your home has CCTVs inside, the footages will be solid pieces of evidence for both the insurance claim and the case you’re going to file with the police.

Claiming contents insurance after burglary will be easier if you have more pieces of evidence to present.

Enforce the security of your home

Remember that insurance companies will check the ‘preventability’ of the incident. If you got broken in for the second time without added security features, your claim will likely be denied.

Insurance companies take into account the efforts the policy owner does to prevent such damages. If they found enough evidence that you had negligence, they will use it to deny your claim.

Change your locks and install burglar alarms if you don’t have any yet.

Do you need more burglary insurance claims advice? Call us at Gold Coast Public Adjuster and we will be glad to help you out.