Discovering that your holiday rental apartment has been burgled can be a very upsetting experience. However, if this happens, it is vital that you take steps to report what has happened, secure the property and claim for lost belongings. Below is a guide to 3 things you should do in the event of a break-in at your holiday rental apartment. 

Contact the police

As soon as you discover that your rental home has been broken into, you should immediately contact the local police. You should not delay in doing this. If the robbery has only recently occurred, the intruder may still be in the area. Calling in the police as soon as possible also allows the officers to capture any forensic evidence such as fibres of clothing or DNA which may help the police to trace the thief. You should give the police a list of items that are missing so they can make local pawnbrokers aware, so they can report if anyone tried to sell the items.

Call the landlord

Once you have contacted the police, you should call the landlord of your rental property to inform them of the break-in. The landlord will be able to make arrangements for an emergency locksmith to visit the property so that any damage to door or window locks can be repaired. Emergency locksmiths operate 24 hours a day, so you should not wait until the morning before contacting your landlord. If you are unable to contact your landlord, you should do your best to secure the property until morning as a locksmith will not be able to change the locks without the landlord's explicit approval. If any keys have been stolen, the locksmith will also be able to replace the locks and cut new keys to protect the property from any return visits from the intruder. 

File an insurance claim

If you have had any belongings stolen, you should be able to claim for the value of these using your travel insurance. However, for the claim to be successful, it is important that you collect and present the right information. This information includes:

  • An official incident report from the police
  • A list of stolen or damaged items
  • A statement of the events leading up to the break-in
  • Photographs of any damage to the property

Providing this information will allow your insurance claim to proceed at maximum speed and will ensure you receive the full amount of compensation owed to you.

If you would like further advice about keeping your rented holiday home secure, you should contact a locksmith like Commercial Locksmiths today.

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