What to Do After a Home Robbery

Published August 08, 2025

Experiencing a home robbery is scary, and something no one should have to go through. Yet, between 2023 and 2024, 217,600 Australian households were broken into. Of those, almost 71% reported something stolen, while 39% reported damage to their property.¹

If you’ve been impacted by a robbery at your home, you may understandably feel overwhelmed, shocked or anxious. However, it’s important to know how to act, in order to secure your home and report the crime effectively. But what do you do, and when? From notifying police and seeking medical assistance if necessary to making a home insurance claim, read on for an understanding of what to do after a robbery.

What’s the difference between a burglary and a robbery?

While the terms ‘robbery’ and ‘burglary’ may sometimes be used interchangeably, they actually refer to different events.

A robbery is when a person takes someone else’s property using force or a threat of violence.² A burglary refers to the unlawful entry into a building with the intent to steal something or cause property damage.³

Whether you’ve experienced a robbery or a burglary, it’s important to take action as soon as safely possible.

Immediate actions after a robbery

Safety should be your first priority after a robbery.⁴ If a crime is currently occurring or if anyone is in immediate danger, police advice is to call Triple Zero (000).⁴

If you or someone with you is injured and needs immediate medical care, call Triple Zero and ask for an ambulance or attend your nearest hospital emergency department.⁵ For urgent health concerns that aren’t life-threatening, you can visit your nearest Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.⁶

Once you’re sure everyone is safe, try not to touch anything or disturb the scene until you receive further instructions from police.⁷

What gets stolen during break ins in Australia

How to report a robbery to police

The next step is to report the robbery to police as soon as you can. You can do this:

In-person at your local police station²
By calling the national Police Assistance Line on 131 444³
Online via your state or territory police website, if available³
Confidentially to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.⁴

The police procedure for a robbery can differ, but officers may attend your property to address any present danger, help secure your home and investigate the incident.² Once there, they may collect evidence such as photographs, fingerprints or property related to the crime.⁸

Police will give you a receipt for any property they take as evidence and return it as soon as possible. However, if the evidence is needed in court, you may not get your property back until after the case is complete.⁸

You might also be asked to make a statement. You don’t have to provide a statement, but it may help police with their investigation.⁸

Check for missing items

So, you’ve received the go-ahead to re-enter the scene of the home robbery– now it’s time to take stock of the damage. Police may ask you to provide an inventoryof damaged or missing items.²

It might help to go room by room, paying particular attention to places where you keep valuables such as jewellery or expensive electronics.⁷

It’s also a good idea to check for missing identification documents or bank cards. Stolen IDs should be reported to police right away, and you should contact your bank immediately to cancel stolen cards and notify them of any fraudulent charges.⁷

Remember, you can add to your police report later if you identify more damage or missing items.⁷

Contact your insurance company

Once you’ve finalised your police report, get in touch with your insurer to start your insurance claim.²

To make a claim, your insurance provider may ask you to provide information, such as:¹⁰

Evidence of damage or loss, such as witness statements or photographs
Evidence of ownership, such as warranties, receipts or bank statements
A police report number.¹⁰

Your insurer may also send an assessor or tradesperson to visit your property and assess the damage if they deem it necessary.¹⁰

Does my home insurance cover robbery?

The exact details of your coverage will depend on your policy. Check your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to find out whether burglary is included, what exactly you’re covered for and which actions you need to take.

For example, Youi Buildings & Contents insurance covers loss or damage to your insured property caused by theft, attempted theft or burglary at the premises but may not cover items taken from a common area or by a tenant.¹¹

Your level of cover will also impact what you may be able to claim for. For instance, contents-only insurance is unlikely to cover the cost of any building damage sustained in the burglary, while building insurance alone may not cover replacement or repair of your personal items.

Depending on the damage, you may need to arrange repairs or ask your insurer to authorise repairs on your behalf. Youi offers a repair guarantee – where we guarantee the quality of authorised repairs for as long as you’re the owner of the insured property.¹¹

What if you’re renting?

If you don’t own your home, your landlord will typically be responsible for any damage to the building – such as fittings, doors and windows, and any furniture they own – caused during a burglary or break-in.¹²

Landlord insurance won’t cover your personal effects, though, which is where renters contents insurance comes in. Such policies cover the cost of repairing or replacing your personal belongings if they’re stolen or damaged as a result of an insured event.

Secure your home

You might want to address critical home security issues, such as broken locks and windows, soon after a robbery. This includes changing your locks if your keys are missing or stolen.⁷

Police advise that thieves sometimes return after victims have had sufficient time to replace their stolen items with new ones. However, they also recommend making some simple changes to help reduce the likelihood of these types of crimes re-occurring.¹³

Victoria Police has a useful list of steps you can take to help prevent burglaries, including:¹⁴

Fitting deadlocks
Installing security screens
Keeping tools and ladders locked away
Taking steps to make the house look occupied while you’re away
Trimming shrubs and branches to improve street visibility.¹⁴

You could also consider high-tech options, such as home security camera systems.

Look after yourself

Experiencing a robbery can be frightening, and people respond in different ways. This can include physical symptoms such as jumpiness, headaches, or feelings of guilt, anger, sadness or fear.¹⁵

If you’re experiencing these or other symptoms, it can help to talk to a trusted friend, family member or medical professional.16 If your home or contents insurance is with Youi, you may be covered for sessions with an accredited counsellor following an insured event.¹¹

Support is also available through your state or territory victim support services:

While a home robbery can be stressful, understanding what steps to take in the aftermath, and having the right insurance for your circumstances, might help make things feel more manageable.

For insurance that’s a bit more you-shaped, consider starting a quote with Youi today.

¹ Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Crime Victimisation, Australia, March 2025
² Source: Victims of Crime Vic – Robbery, March 2025
³ Source: Victims of Crime Vic – Burglary, April 2024
⁴ Source: Victoria Police – Report, January 2025
⁵ Source: myGov – Getting urgent medical help, August 2023
⁶ Source: Department of Health and Aged Care – When to visit a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, March 2025
⁷ Source: Canstar – What to do if your house is robbed, March, 2024
⁸ Source: Victims of Crime Vic – Collecting evidence, November 2023
⁹ Source: Victims of Crime South Australia – Making a statement
¹⁰ Source: CHOICE – How to make a claim on your home and contents insurance, April 2024
¹¹ Exclusions and limits may apply. See the Home & Contents PDS for full details.
¹² Source: Canstar – What is renters insurance?, March 2024
¹³ Source: NSW Police Force – Protect your home
¹⁴ Source: Victoria Police – Prevent home burglaries, January 2025
¹⁵ Source: Victims of Crime Vic – The effects of crime, November 2023
¹⁶ Source: Victims of Crime NT – What you may experience following a crime