Burglary: how to claim on your home insurance

You do not need every receipt before you tell your insurer.

The answer in 2 lines. Report the burglary to the police, contact your insurer promptly and start listing what was stolen or damaged. In England, follow your policy's notification conditions rather than assuming there is a universal reporting deadline. Contents insurance concerns belongings; buildings insurance concerns damage to the structure. Your settlement depends on the cover, excess, limits and replacement terms. Ask for a written explanation if the offer seems wrong.

The first steps

Report the burglary and keep the crime reference. Use GOV.UK's police contact page to choose the appropriate reporting route.
Contact your insurer using the details in your policy documents. Ask how to submit evidence and what emergency security work it will authorise.
Create your own loss list: describe each missing or damaged item, its approximate age, its value and the evidence you have. Mark estimates clearly.

Stop: danger

If a burglary is happening or someone is in immediate danger, stay somewhere safe and call 999. Do not confront an intruder. GOV.UK explains emergency and non-emergency police contact; use 101 or the linked online reporting route for a non-emergency.

Show what you owned

Gather receipts, order confirmations, bank statements, photographs, valuations and serial numbers. A photograph showing an item in your home can support your account when the original receipt is missing. Explain gifts, inherited belongings and purchases made without paperwork honestly; ask what alternative evidence the insurer will consider.

Keep your list organised by item. Separate the purchase price from your estimate of a comparable replacement's current cost. Explain how you reached that estimate and keep supporting evidence. Tell the insurer when you discover another missing item, rather than silently changing an earlier total.

Understand the settlement

Policy term	What to check
New for old	Whether the insurer will replace the item with a new equivalent, and which exceptions apply.
Wear and tear	Whether deductions are permitted for the particular item under your cover.
Excess	The contribution you must make towards an accepted claim.
Limits	The overall contents limit and any separate restrictions for valuables, cash or individual items.

A settlement may involve replacement rather than cash. Before accepting cash, ask how it was calculated and whether it will buy the replacement you need.

What not to do

Adding belongings that were not stolen or inflating their value. Give accurate information and correct mistakes promptly.
Disposing of damaged locks, doors or belongings before asking whether they need to be inspected.
Agreeing to extensive permanent repairs before discussing authorisation and costs with the insurer.

Check the conditions that matter

Read the policy wording, schedule and any endorsements together. Look for theft cover, security requirements, restrictions while the home is unoccupied and the treatment of belongings in sheds or outbuildings. Do not assume every theft requires visible forced entry: ask which wording the insurer is applying to your circumstances.

If cover is declined because of a security condition, request the exact condition and a written explanation connecting it to the claim. For help understanding a refusal, use MoneyHelper's rejected-claim guidance: work through the reasons given and compare them with your documents.

Damage to the home and rented properties

List damage to doors, windows and fixed fittings separately from stolen possessions. If you rent, tell your landlord or managing agent promptly so building repairs can be arranged. Do not assume their insurance covers your belongings or that your contents policy covers every building repair. Ask who is handling each part and keep the answers.

For general claims preparation, read the claims section of the ABI's home insurance guide, then check the corresponding provisions in your own policy.

Good to know

Ask for an itemised settlement showing the accepted items, replacement basis, deductions, excess and limits.
If stolen property is recovered, tell your insurer before selling it or disposing of it; ask how recovery affects the settlement.
This guide is for England. The Financial Ombudsman Service route also operates across the UK, but tenancy responsibilities and court procedures can differ.

Illustrative example: after a burglary in Leeds, Sam lists a missing laptop and jewellery separately from a damaged window. He supplies an order confirmation for the laptop and photographs of the jewellery. When the proposed replacement seems unsuitable, he asks the insurer to explain its specification and the relevant policy terms before agreeing.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for police reporting routes and general claims preparation; medium for individual settlements, which depend on policy wording and evidence. No standard payout or notification period is assumed.