The back of the house, the blind spot of large plots
The estates built among the woods — Issac, Corbiac, part of Cérillan — offer exactly what their residents came looking for: space, tall hedges, no overlooking neighbours. The flip side is that a rear elevation can be worked on at length without anyone seeing, from a garden that no one walks past. Sliding patio doors, living-room French windows, utility room doors and bathroom windows account for most of the weak points there, well ahead of the main front door.
Outbuildings deserve the same attention. A garden shed or a detached garage holds the tools, the ladder, sometimes the bikes and a spare key left there "just in case". After a break-in, putting things right is therefore not limited to the forced door leaf: you look at what was opened, what was tried, and what will still be weak once the main door has been repaired. Keep the parts that are removed, as they show your insurer exactly how the attack was carried out.
Closing up without destroying what your claim will need
The order matters. Photographing the scene, having it formally recorded, reporting the crime to the service covering your address, then notifying your insurer: these steps come before the permanent repair. In the meantime, an isolated house on the edge of the woods obviously cannot be left open. Temporary securing work closes the property up and holds while the claim progresses, without destroying the traces the investigation needs. Every job comes with a detailed quote before work begins and an invoice issued as a matter of course.
Then comes the proper repair. On detached houses, it is not always the mechanism that failed: the timber around the strike plate, the frame of a side door or the jamb of a sliding patio door takes the leverage. Fitting new hardware onto a split support only solves half the problem. If you are a tenant, tell your landlord; in the newer developments in the centre, also inform the building managing agent (syndic) when the entrance hall or a communal access point has been forced.
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 Saint-Médard-en-Jalles.