Do Burglars Come Back to the Same House? What to Know

If you have been the victim of a home burglary once before, you may have been told that your home is likely to be targeted again.

To most people that feels counter-intuitive - you'd have to be incredibly unlucky to be burgled more than once, right? Unfortunately, the evidence says otherwise.

Do burglars come back to the same house twice?

In a word: yes, it happens - and it is one of the most consistent findings in crime research.

Criminologists Graham Farrell and Ken Pease, whose work established much of what we understand about "repeat victimisation", found that the risk of being burgled again is highest in the days and weeks immediately after the first break-in, then tails off over the following months. In many cases, it is the same burglar who comes back.

Why so soon? If he got in once without being caught, he backs himself to do it again. He already knows the entry and exit routes and the layout of your home - and he can reasonably assume the things he took will be replaced, often with newer, more expensive versions bought with an insurance settlement.

What motivates burglars to come back again?

It all depends on the individual. A less experienced thief may be happy with his pickings and too paranoid to return. The seasoned professional, on the other hand, is confident he won't be caught - so he strikes again.

Here's why a burglar might return:

• He knows that you are not expecting to be robbed again in such a short time frame. The unpredictability gives him the upper hand.
• He now knows the weak spots in your home, so the second burglary runs more smoothly and draws even less attention.
• Valuables may have been left in a rush the first time, but he knows where you are most likely to hide them, so he can go straight to them without searching.
• There may now be a buyer for the items that were seen but not taken during the first burglary.
• The burglar is ruthless - he has no compassion for your family and doesn't care that they are frightened in their own home. He only sees your possessions as easy cash.

Less confident criminals may not risk breaking into your house again. But if they spot an easy target - an unsecured shed or summer house in the garden - they may come back to ransack that instead.

Do burglars come back after a failed attempt?

When a burglar fails at the first attempt, there is every chance he will return with a better plan.

In his mind, he had a good reason for targeting your home in the first place. A small setback won't put him off coming back. There are a number of things that could have gone wrong for him:

1. Your back door or windows were locked and more secure than he anticipated. He makes a mental note to return with a crowbar.
2. He was disturbed - perhaps your neighbours came home at the moment of entry. To avoid attention, he flees and saves his plans for another day.
3. The timing wasn't right. Maybe your street was too busy; too many prying eyes make a break-in too risky.
4. Change of plans. Based on your routine he thought you'd be out, but the house was occupied - abort mission.
5. At first glance he was scared off by a dummy alarm or fake CCTV system - but he strikes again once he realises it's a knock-off and your home is really unprotected.

It makes your skin crawl, but it's a sad fact: checking out the lay of the land is all part of the job for a burglar. If the time isn't right, or if he gets disturbed, there's always another day.

Stop burglars from targeting your home!

There is a good reason to take this seriously. Recorded burglary in England and Wales actually fell by 8% in the year to March 2025, to 245,284 offences (ONS, Crime in England and Wales) - and researchers credit much of that long-term decline to better household security, from stronger locks to alarms and CCTV. It is sometimes called the "security hypothesis": homes that are harder to break into simply get burgled less.

Yet too many people still put their home at risk to save a bit of money by not investing in a quality home burglar alarm. For a household without contents insurance, the cost of replacing everything and repairing the damage after a break-in far outweighs the cost of a good home security system. That's why we urge everyone to protect their home with an intruder alarm - a visible, quality alarm is one of the most effective deterrents there is.

Whether you have been burgled before or not, don't take chances with the safety of your family.

Do burglars come back? Your questions answered

How long after a burglary are you most at risk of a repeat?

The risk is highest in the first few days and weeks after a break-in, then drops away over the following months. That early window is exactly when it pays to fix whatever the burglar exploited and upgrade your security - before he comes back to take advantage of it.

What should you do after a burglary to stop it happening again?

Repair the weak point that was used to get in, change any locks that were forced or compromised, and add or upgrade a visible deterrent such as a monitored alarm or CCTV. Because the repeat risk is highest straight afterwards, acting quickly matters more than most people realise.

Do burglar alarms actually put burglars off?

Yes. Police crime-prevention advice consistently points to visible alarms and cameras as among the most effective deterrents, and researchers credit better home security for much of the long-term fall in burglary. A dummy alarm won't fool a determined burglar for long, though - a real, working system is what makes the difference.

Beat the burglar - find out how in 5 minutes flat!

While a burglar alarm is one of the best ways to protect your home, there are other things you can do too.

Click here or tap the image below to take a quick quiz and find out how safe your home really is.

It's free and takes just 5 minutes to do!