Keeping your belongings safe
Learn how to shield your valuable or sentimental possessions from burglars.
Protecting your possessions from burglars involves a mix of reinforcing entry points, making your home look occupied, and protecting certain valuables.
One of the best ways to protect your valuables is to put them in home safe. Alternatively, you could put them in a safety deposit vault, where the risk to you and your home may be removed.
Home safes aim to protect high-value items, such as passports, credit cards, ID documents and jewels in the event of a burglary. Store large amounts of cash at a bank, building society or post office.
Some safes are also approved as fire-rated and are ideal for storing valuable documents or computer data inside.
Check with your insurer
Do you have sufficient insurance for your contents, and have you checked the small print of your insurance policy recently?
Home safes are insurance-rated according to the type and value of the items to be placed inside them, so check with your insurance company to ensure adequate cover.
Buying a home safe
Think about what valuables you want to put in the safe, as this will determine what size and type the safe needs to be.
Whichever safe you buy, it should be Sold Secure-tested and approved, as these can withstand, drilling, picking, and specialised tools.
Installation
Safes should be supplied and fitted by a member of the Master Locksmiths Association, who should fix the safe to a solid wall or floor with fixings found inside the safe.
Position the safe in a concealed location, but avoid placing it in your bedroom, as this is often the first place a burglar will search.
Take photos and keep receipts
Take photos of your valuables and register them on the Immobilise Property Register and improve your chances of getting them back if lost or stolen.
You can write a short description of each of item, including key details such as when it was bought and how much for.
If you have a receipt, you have proof of purchase which can be a big help if police manage to recover your stolen valuables.