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It’s every homeowner’s nightmare. You pull up the driveway to see your front door has been forced open or a window broken. You can barely process what’s happened, fretting about what’s been stolen and the damage to your home. What can you do? Remain calm, take a deep breath, and follow our recommendations after a break-in at your Gainesville home.  

Once things are under control, see how to better prevent intrusions with the latest home security system.

First Steps After A Break-In

Finding your house has been burglarized is traumatizing. You might be upset, scared, or simply in disbelief. Whatever the case, it’s critical to respond rationally by doing the following: 

• Do not enter. It’s not surprising that you want to rush inside to see what happened. Don’t. There’s a possibility someone is still inside.
• Contact the police at once.  Keep yourself and family members at a safe spot nearby and hold tight until first responders arrive. Work with the police to file a report. 
• Don’t touch a thing. Let officers take control and gather evidence.  

What Are The Next Steps?

You’ve spoken with the police, and your home is safe to re-enter. What should you do next? 

• Notify your bank and credit card companies . If a thief stole personal records, purses, or wallets, you’ll wish to alert your credit card companies and banks right away. It’s wise to lock accounts and your credit. You can also request a fraud alert with the three main credit bureaus.
• Reach out to your insurance provider. Initiate a claim with your insurance provider. This needs to be done within one day of the incident. 
• Take photos of the damage. Document broken windows, kicked-in doors, and any other damage you find.
• Inventory stolen goods. Create a record of what’s been stolen and provide it to the authorities and your insurance provider.
• Secure your house. Make your home safe again by replacing locks, fixing doors and windows, and repairing other damage. If you have a digital lock, now is the time to reset your access codes.

Cleaning up will do wonders for your stress and make things feel normal. After you do so, it’s time to consider improving your home security.

Assess And Improve The Security At Your Gainesville Home

How can you prevent this from occuring again? Your first step should be to assess your home security. An advanced system with these tools will go a long way to strengthening your home’s protection: 

• Video cameras: Almost all would-be burglars will hesitate when they observe security cameras. Newer exterior and doorbell cameras provide advanced features like AI-driven smart detection. Any time there’s suspicious activity, you’ll receive a notification. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (particularly those on the lower level) should be protected by contact or glass-break sensors.
• Smart lights and locks: These automated devices can be controlled from anywhere. Concerned you didn’t secure your door? You can verify and engage the lock from your mobile device. You can even have interior lighting turn on if a camera discovers suspicious activity.

If you are looking for a connected system that notifies you and monitoring agents whenever a device is tripped, get a package from the home security experts at ADT. You’ll benefit from smartphone access, 24/7 monitoring, and convenient automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Leading Home Security Systems In Gainesville

Stop burglaries before they happen with an ADT home security package in Gainesville from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As your authorized ADT dealer, we install modern equipment from the most respected name in the business. Discover your options by calling (352) 325-7286 or filling out our form today.