6 steps to take if your home has been broken into

D BURGESS • September 6, 2022

What you need to do when your home is burgled

Discovering that your home has been broken into is a frustrating and horrifying experience.

Many questions may be running through your mind, including: ‘what did they steal?’ ‘why did they break into my house?’ and ‘how can I make my home safe again?’

If you ever find yourself in this heart-wrenching situation, here are the six steps you need to take.

1. Call the police

The first thing you need to do is call the police on their non-emergency number, 101. The call handler will give you a crime reference number for insurance purposes and contact details for the police officer that will be dealing with your case.

The police officer will arrive at your property to take a statement as well as look for fingerprints, footprints, and DNA evidence. This typically happens between four to six hours after calling 101 but can depend on availability. It may be that you have to wait a little longer.

(Important note: if you believe a burglary is in progress at your home, call 999 immediately. Under no circumstances attempt to confront the burglar)

2. Cancel any stolen cards and technology

If you think any bank cards have been stolen from your home, call your bank. Your bank will be able to put a stop on your cards and organise for replacements to be sent.

Some mobile banking apps let you freeze your cards directly from the app, so check to see if you can do this. Even if you can, we still recommend calling your bank, so they know to keep an eye out for any suspicious transactions.

If a mobile phone has been stolen, call your provider, who can block your account and prevent anyone else from using your phone. Your provider will also be able to tell you your phone’s identification number (IMEI), which you can pass to the police. If they come across any stolen phones, they can then check the IMEI number to see if it's yours.

If your passport has been stolen, you can cancel it online.

3. Review what has been taken from your home

Your home insurance provider and the police will need to know what has been taken. Take a walk around your home and make a note of what is no longer there. Take photos of the damage and where missing items used to be.

If you have any evidence of owning stolen items, like receipts or bank statements, start organising them together. Your insurer may ask to see proof.

This stage of the process is likely to be incredibly stressful, especially if the break in has only recently happened. If you don’t feel like you can do this, ask a friend or family member for support.

Most importantly: Don’t touch anything. While it’s only natural to want to tidy up and put your home back to the way it was, the police will need to check for evidence first.

4. Check video footage evidence

If you have a CCTV camera or smart security system like a video doorbell, check the footage to see if you spot anything. You might be able to get evidence of who carried out the burglary, which will help the police identify a suspect.

If you don’t have a security system at home, ask your neighbours. They can review their footage to see if they spot anything that might help your case.

5. Call your insurer

When you have a list of what’s been taken, call your home insurance company. Your insurer will ask for your crime reference number, details of what was stolen, and evidence of the damage caused.

The more information you can give them, the better the chance of your claim being successful.

Check your policy to see the level of cover you have and what you can claim. Some insurers offer ‘new’ for ‘old’ cover while others take wear and tear into account.

6. Secure your home

After the police have arrived to take a statement and look at the damage caused to your property, you can start to put things right again.

An emergency locksmith like DB Locksmiths can assess your property and help you get back to normal, at any time of the day or night.

A locksmith will check your windows and doors for signs of damage, board your windows up if they have been broken and change the locks on your door. This is especially important if you think a burglar has taken a set of your house keys.

The locksmith you choose can also recommend how you can make your home more secure moving forward.

Securing your home will not only give you peace of mind but prevent the chances of a repeat break in. Burglars often target the same property twice as they are confident they won’t get caught again.

Remember – you’re not alone

A break in is an awful experience, and it’s perfectly normal to feel scared, nervous, or angry afterwards. We all react to traumatic experiences in different ways.

Our homes are special to us, and it can be jarring to find that someone has invaded our personal and private space. Even if you feel okay and are coping well, your partners or children may not feel the same way.

Don’t be afraid to rely on friends, family, and neighbours at this time. Charities like Victim Support can help if you need to talk to someone about your experience.

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My Front Door Won't Open, What Should I Do?

By D BURGESS • June 19, 2026

Finding that your front door won’t open can throw your whole day into chaos. You might be rushing to get to work, collect your children or attend an important appointment. Or perhaps you want to get home and sit down after a long afternoon. Whatever the situation, when you can’t open your front door, you need to solve the problem quickly. The good news is that these front door problems are usually quite simple to fix. Just try these easy ways to open a stuck door, and you should be able to get your day back on track. And if that doesn’t work, call DB Locksmiths on 07772 962 247 for 24-hour emergency locksmith services in Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas. Why won’t my front door open? If your key broke in the lock , for example, you’re facing quite a clear problem. And there are a few steps you can take to prevent your key from breaking in a lock again. But one of the most frustrating things about a front door that won’t open is that it’s often hard to understand why the problem happened in the first place. This can happen for a few reasons, such as: Internal wear on the latch can keep it from moving back fully when you move the handle Broken springs inside the handle can leave the latch stuck in place A dropped door might cause the latch to catch on the frame rather than release Hot weather can cause your front food to expand, putting pressure on the lock Dirt or corrosion can stop the handle or lock mechanism from operating smoothly A damaged gearbox could prevent a multi-point lock from disengaging properly Finding out why your front door won’t open doesn’t solve the problem, of course. But understanding the cause can make it much easier to carry out our quick fixes. What not to do when your front door won’t open When your front door won’t open, it’s tempting to use force - especially if you’re locked out of your house at night . But this can make the problem much, much worse. So before we look at how to fix a front door that won’t open, be aware that you: Must not kick or shoulder the door, as this can damage the frame, hinges and lock Must not force the key if it feels stuck, as this could make your key break in the lock Must not use a screwdriver, knife or other tool to force the mechanism, as it could break Must not pull aggressively on the handle, which could cause it to come off in your hand A professional local locksmith can repair most front door problems quickly and affordably without replacing your door handle or the locking mechanism. But if you cause unnecessary damage, it’s just going to cost you more money - and it won’t get you into your house safely! Quick fixes for a front door that won’t open It’s most likely that your front door won’t open because of alignment, wear or a partially engaged locking mechanism. Try these quick fixes in order to get your front door open again: Push or pull the door gently as you move the handle, as this can free a latch that’s catching on the frame Move the handle up and down (or left and right) several times to return a stuck latch to its normal position Lift the door slightly by the handle as you try to open it, which can correct a door that’s dropped and catching on the frame For a uPVC door, lift the handle fully before trying to open it again, as some locking points might be holding it shut If your door key won’t turn in the lock , try a spare one in case your first is worn or damage Remove and reinsert your key to engage the locking mechanism properly before trying to open it again Apply a small amount of graphite or silicone lubricant to a stiff lock to reduce friction between moving parts In most cases, these simple solutions will free up your handle, latch or lock, helping you get back inside. Hopefully, this was just a one-off problem. But if it happens again, it’s a good idea to call a trusted local locksmith to fix the underlying problem. Otherwise, your front door could stop working completely at the worst possible time! What to do if your front door still won’t open If you’ve tried these basic checks and quick fixes but your front door still won’t open, it’s time to call a locksmith. Professional locksmiths can easily spot what causes a stuck front door. And we usually solve the problem with a few simple repairs rather than full replacement. At DB Locksmiths, we provide 24-hour emergency locksmith services across Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas. So no matter why your front door won’t open or when the issue strikes, you can always rely on us for a fast, affordable fix. Call us today on 07772 962 247 to get your front door working properly again.