What to do after a break-in in Ontario

Coming home to a forced door or a broken window is disorienting. People forget simple things, touch evidence, or wait days to call their insurer. This is the order we would follow ourselves.

In the first few minutes

1. Do not go inside if you think someone may still be there. Signs include a door still open, lights or sounds inside, or a vehicle you do not recognise in the driveway. Go to a neighbour's or stay in your car with the doors locked.
2. Call 911 if the break-in is in progress or anyone is hurt or in danger. If the intruder is clearly gone and nobody is hurt, call your local police non-emergency number instead. In much of the GTA that means Peel Regional Police, Toronto Police Service, York Regional Police, Halton Regional Police or Hamilton Police Service, and in Caledon the OPP. The OPP also offers online reporting for some incidents; your local service's website will tell you what can be reported online.
3. Write down the time you arrived and what you noticed first. Memory fades fast.

Before you clean anything

Police may want to see how entry was made, and your insurer will want proof of damage. Before you tidy up:

• Photograph every room from the doorway, then each damaged door, frame, lock and window up close.
• Avoid touching surfaces the intruder likely handled, such as door handles, drawers and jewellery boxes, until police tell you whether they will collect evidence.
• If you have cameras, save the clips now. Some cloud plans delete footage after a set number of days. Download the files to your phone or computer and note the exact timestamps.

Get a report number

Whether you report by phone, in person or online, ask for the occurrence or report number and write it down. Your insurer, your bank and sometimes your landlord will ask for it.

Make a list of what is missing

Go room by room. For each item note what it is, the brand and model, roughly when you bought it, and any serial number. Search your email for receipts and order confirmations; it is the fastest way to rebuild a list. Do not forget items that are easy to overlook: spare keys, garage remotes, passports, cheque books, prescription medication and the laptop that has saved passwords on it.

Call your insurer the same day

Most home and tenant policies expect prompt notice. Ask what your deductible is, whether you need quotes for repairs, and whether you can make temporary repairs now (you usually can, and should, to prevent further loss). Keep receipts for anything you pay for, such as boarding up a window or a locksmith. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has a plain-language overview of home insurance if you are unsure what your policy covers.

Secure the house tonight

• Repair or board the entry point before dark. A locksmith can often reinforce a kicked-in door frame the same day.
• Change or rekey locks if any keys, garage remotes or bags with your address were taken.
• Reset codes on garage openers, smart locks and alarm panels. Treat every code as known.
• Change passwords for email and banking if a phone, laptop or tablet was taken, starting with your email account, since it can be used to reset everything else.

Protect your identity

If wallets, ID or mail were taken, call your bank and card issuers, and watch for unfamiliar accounts. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre explains how to report identity fraud and what to do next. Government ID such as passports and health cards should be reported lost or stolen to the issuing office.

If you rent

Tell your landlord in writing the same day. They are generally responsible for repairs to doors, windows and locks they provide. The Ontario government's guide to renting sets out landlord and tenant responsibilities. Your own belongings are covered only by tenant insurance, not the landlord's policy.

In the following week

• Walk the outside of the house at night. Look at it the way the intruder did: which doors are dark, which windows are hidden by hedges, where could someone work unseen?
• Talk to the neighbours. They may have camera footage covering the street, and they will want to know.
• Take care of the people in the house. It is normal for children, and adults, to feel unsafe at home for a while. Small changes, such as lighting the path to the door or a sensor on the window that was broken, help people sleep.

What actually reduces the chance of it happening again

Look at how they got in, and fix that first. A rear door with a weak strike plate needs a better strike plate and longer screws before it needs a camera. After that, the useful layers are lighting, sensors on the doors and ground-level windows people really use, and a way to be alerted quickly when you are not home. Our free Home Safety Score walks through these in about two minutes and shows where your home stands.

More guides

• Home safety checklist for aging parents
• Smoke and CO alarm rules in Ontario
• Security tips for new homeowners

This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.