Storage unit broken into? Insurance claim records

A storage unit broken into insurance claim is a file of records: what you saw, who you told, and what you can show you stored. The steps below are a practical sequence for the first day. They are not a deadline from a statute. If your policy names a notice period, that period is the one to follow.

What to do if your storage unit is broken into

Work through four records on the first day: a police report, photos, a written notice to the facility, and an inventory. Then send the insurer or tenant protection plan whatever notice method that document describes, and write down any claim number you receive.

1. Police report

USAGov says to call 911 if you are in immediate danger. To report a theft or other property crime, contact the local law enforcement agency where it happened. To file a police report, look up that agency's phone number or non-emergency line.

Department name
Date and time you called or visited
Officer name, if one is given
Report or case number
How to get a copy of the report

2. Photos

Photograph the unit before you move the lock, the door, or the contents. Keep the original image files.

The unit number in the frame
The lock, hasp, latch, and door, in wide shots and close-ups
The frame, ceiling, and shared walls
The interior, including spaces where items are missing
The date and time shown on the photos

3. Notify the facility in writing

Send an email or a letter to the facility and keep a copy, including the date you sent it. A phone call can sit beside that writing. The writing is the record you can attach later.

Your name, unit number, and how to reach you
The date you found the problem and what you saw
A request for a copy of any incident report the facility creates
A request that the facility keep camera footage and gate access logs for the dates you name

4. Inventory

List each item you believe is missing or damaged while the visit is still fresh. You can attach proof later.

A specific description, plus brand, model, and serial number if you have them
Where a receipt, statement, manual, or earlier photo might be
What you paid, if you know it, and a current price for a similar item

Documents a claim file often includes

Insurers and tenant protection plans do not all ask for the same stack. The list that applies to you is in your policy or plan. These are the records people are often asked to send. Check your own policy for anything it names on top of this list.

The police report, or the report number and the department name
Photos of the unit, lock, and door
A written inventory of missing or damaged items
Records that show ownership and price: receipts, card or bank lines, manuals, registrations, and photos from before the loss
The storage rental agreement and proof of rent payments
The written notice you sent the facility, plus any incident report, camera footage, or gate log the facility gives you
The policy or tenant protection plan, including the pages on theft, exclusions, limits, and notice

The California Department of Insurance residential property claims guide says making a list of damaged items is a starting point for documenting a personal-property loss. It says to include brand names and model numbers of appliances and electronic equipment, to take photographs of the damage if possible, and to gather receipts, bills, and photographs that help show price and age. That guide is about residential property policies. A storage policy can name a different set. Read the policy you have.

Reasons a denial letter may name

Denial letters often point at one of these, in general terms. Whether any of them fits your file is a question for your policy and the letter you received. Copy the sentence the letter uses and attach the policy page it mentions.

Missing proof of ownership

The inventory names items, and the file has no receipt, statement, photo, manual, or other record attached for those items. Check your policy for what it asks you to send.

Policy exclusions

The letter points at wording in the policy, such as an exclusion. The words that matter are the words in your policy. This page does not interpret them. Read the exclusion and the definitions it relies on.

Late notice

The letter says notice arrived after a period the policy describes. Policies set different periods, and some set none in a single sentence. Check your own policy for any notice period. This page does not state a number of days.

Organize the same records

The Storage Claim Evidence Kit ($29, one-time) is a ZIP of seven PDFs: an index, a forced-entry photo checklist, a discovery timeline worksheet, an ownership and value inventory, letter templates for camera footage, gate logs, and an incident report, filing slots for a denial letter and policy excerpts, and a submission checklist. You fill in the blanks and attach your own records. The kit does not decide a claim.