When the discovery comes weeks late
A break-in is often noticed long after the event: a forced shutter spotted from the street, a side door that no longer closes, a house reopened in spring. That shifts the priorities. Do not put anything back in order before the police have made their observations, photograph extensively — the rear elevation, the door frame, the lock, fragments on the ground, the rooms affected — and file a complaint: it can be filed at any police station or gendarmerie, not necessarily the one covering the area, which matters when you live a long way from the Bassin.
Then comes organising what happens next, when you may well not be there. Make it clear who will let the locksmith in and who will receive the quote; written consent from the owner avoids misunderstandings when a third party is acting as go-between. Temporary securing work allows the property to be closed up again without destroying evidence useful to the case. Keep the parts removed — the attacked cylinder, the torn-off strike plate, a piece of the door frame — along with the detailed quote and the invoice provided at the end of the visit.
Almost nobody comes in through the street frontage
In the suburban streets of Miquelots, in Clairbois or in the villas above Pyla-sur-Mer, the front of the house is on show and all the living happens behind it: the terrace, the sliding door, the utility room door, the side door by the kitchen. Hedges, solid fences and the pines screening the back of the property provide exactly what is needed to work undisturbed, out of sight of the street. That is almost always where to look first, before reinforcing a front door that has not been touched.
Outbuildings deserve the same attention. Garages where bikes, boards and fishing gear are stored, garden sheds, stores closed with nothing more than a padlock: these are targets in their own right, and sometimes the way into the house when a connecting door links the garage to the living room. If keys have gone missing, every cylinder on the same ring is affected — side gate, shed, letterbox, bike store — and not just the one on the main door.
How does this service work?
Techniques, typical situations, standards and things to watch out for: it is all on our securing your home after a break-in page. This page focuses on what the service involves in La Teste-de-Buch.