Plus, how to choose the appropriate safe for your home. A home safe helps protect your valuables from theft and can protect your most important items against environmental hazards like fire, flooding and other natural disasters. A safe may also help secure potentially dangerous things like weapons and prescription drugs, keeping your loved ones protected from accidental harm. If you don’t have a home safe, now could possibly be the time to get one. Here’s how to choose the best safe for your needs – and what to keep inside it.
There are many quality home safes that you can buy. If you’re overwhelmed by the number of choices, here are a few tips to help you find the best one for your needs. Choose a safe that’s slightly larger than you believe you will need. After some time, you’re likely to find additional items you will want to secure in it. To help safeguard your things from fire damage, your safe should have a fire rating of at least 1 hour. In addition to fire, your safe should likewise protect your items from water damage. For additional protection, you may also place your sensitive items in a waterproof bag before storing them in your safe.
Research the safe’s cash rating, which is an indication of precisely how burglar-resistant it is. Typically, a higher cash rating means the safe is more secure.
Safes which are bolted down or set in a wall are more challenging for burglars to remove from your home, but you won’t have the ability to carry them with you in an emergency. Weigh the pros and cons of each and every kind of safe before deciding on a purchase. If you own firearms, they should be kept in a safe designed especially for this purpose.
Items That Really should be Stored In a Safe
Once you’ve decided upon the features that best fit your needs, take into account the following items that should always be stored in a safe location.
1. Cash
Having money on hand is unquestionably convenient and practical: a national emergency or major catastrophe, as an example, could limit your ability to withdraw money or use your credit or debit cards. However, keeping cash in your house also can make it susceptible to damage and theft. Cash ranks high on a burglar’s most-wanted list – and professionals have an understanding of the places money is often stashed, like under the mattress or perhaps in a sock drawer. To help ensure your cash is there when you need it, put your hard-earned dollars in a waterproof bag and secure it in a home security safe.
2. Jewelry
Jewelry is the second-most common item stolen within a break-in. But that’s not the only reason you should store your jewelry in a safe-doing so is also a great way to ensure it doesn’t get lost or misplaced inside the house. Be sure to take pictures of your jewelry and have expensive pieces appraised. Keep a copy of this documentation in your safe as well so you’ll know where to locate it if you ever need it for your insurance provider.
3. Firearms
Burglars love to steal guns-and if they do, the firearms are rarely recovered. The fact is, according to the most current FBI Crime Report, fewer than 10 percent of the more than 100 million firearms that were stolen in 2014 were returned to their owners. It is also imperative that guns along with other weapons be inaccessible to children at all times. Based on Everytown Research, there were at least 278 accidental child shootings in 2015. For safety and security’s sake, firearms, knives and other weapons should be kept in a safe when they are not being utilised. Ammunition needs to be securely stored in a separate location.
4. Prescription Medications
Storing your prescription drugs in a safe ensures they won’t be accidently ingested or misused by a member of the family, guest or criminal. In accordance with the National Institute of Drug Abuse, 52 million people in the United States older than 12 have abused prescription drugs-and more than 16 percent of prescription drugs are purchased or taken from a relative or friend. Keep a week’s worth of your prescription medications in a pill dispenser and lock up the remaining in a safe. Doing so will help prevent them from entering the hands of those they don’t belong to. Be sure to properly dispose of all expired and unused medications. Speak to your physician or local pharmacy for the best way to dispose of your medications.
5. Digital Media
Keep original documents and important paperwork in your home safe and store copies by using an external hard drive, CD or USB flash drive. Lock these devices in the safe, too, to safeguard them from environmental damage and also to secure them against criminals. For insurance purposes, think about adding digital copies of pictures and video from your home inventory to your safe as well.
6. Documents Containing Your personal data (PII)
A 2015 identity theft study reveals that, in the U.S. the year before, there were 30 new identify fraud victims every minute. Together with being vigilant about your online security, you need to take precautions to protect your personal information at home. Documents with PII-information that can be used to identify you-should always be stored in a safe. This can include items such as birth and death certificates, marriage and divorce papers, passports and Social Security cards. Other PII paperwork ought to be shredded when no longer needed.
7. Financial Papers
Paperwork in connection with your wages, including taxes and outstanding debts, should be stored in a safe. It’s also advisable to store stock and bond certificates, as well as deeds and titles, in your safe, as these can be difficult and time-consuming to replace. Seal these papers in a waterproof bag for extra protection. If you’re ever displaced from your home by a natural disaster, you may need this data to request the help of government disaster relief programs.
8. Insurance Policies
During an emergency, you won’t have enough time to search for your insurance information. Make sure to store your homeowners policy as well as any other insurance policies in a safe so they are easily accessible. Maintain your agent’s contact information in the safe as well. These documents will come in handy if you have to file an insurance claim.
9. Safety Deposit Box Keys
Because of their small size, safety deposit box keys are especially easy to misplace. People often carry them on their key ring-but that’s not a good idea either, as they possibly can be easily lost or stolen. The best place to keep your safety deposit box key is within a safe. In fact, this is the ideal spot for all keys you don’t use on a daily basis, including spare car keys, extra house keys and keys to recreational vehicles.
10. Sentimental Items
Irreplaceable items and family heirlooms, whether they have any monetary value or not, really should be protected in a safe. When searching for a home safe, take into account the size of the sentimental items you would like to place in it and purchase accordingly.
Don’t have a home for your safe? Nick & Cindy Davis can assist you with that. We have helped hundreds of buyers find their new home here in the Tampa Bay and Surrounding areas. We are always available at 813-300-7116 or you can simply click here and we will be in touch with you.