The popularity of the home safe is on the rise with many of us leaving our homes unoccupied all day we appreciate that leaving documents and valuables in drawers and cupboards simply does not provide them with adequate protection from burglars. Installing a concealed home safe gives you somewhere secure to put items whilst keeping them handy (unlike a bank vault).

Identity theft

It’s no longer just cash and jewellery that is valuable enough to merit a safe – documents which enable your identity to be stolen and misused online for all sorts of purposes mean that things like driving licences, passports, bank and insurance documents should not be left unsecured.

When buying a safe, keep the following in mind:

Cash ratings

Cash ratings serve as a broad indicator of the level of security offered by a particular safe. The better a safe’s cash grade, generally the better protection it offers.

The amount for which your insurance company will insure the items in your safe is referred to as a cash rating. If the safe has a rating of one thousand pounds, it is suitable for holding one thousand pounds in cash or ten thousand pounds’ worth of valuables e.g. jewellery.

You home insurance company may have its own ratings and there are a range of independent test bodies such as Sold Secure that provide ratings for home safes.

Lock away laptops

Technology that would previously have been locked up in office premises now needs to be kept secure at home as we increasingly work from home following the coronavirus pandemic. What do you do with your laptop after you log off for the day? It’s crucial to keep computers out of the hands of thieves because they are valuable pieces of equipment that store commercially-sensitive business information as well as your private data. Before you buy a home safe, check that it is suitable for storing your laptop.

Secure your documents

Important paperwork and documents, such as passports, birth certificates, bank details and credit card bills, are among the most concerning targets for thieves. These can be used by a burglar to gain access to your bank account or even steal your identity to misuse online. Furthermore, replacing them is a nightmare. Store these documents in a safe as well, for your protection and peace of mind.

Fire-resistance

Check that the home safe you intend to purchase offers some degree of resistance to fire. This will shield the contents from the heat of a fire in the event of one. Sensitive documents should be kept locked away to prevent theft or destruction but these also need protection in the event of a house fire.

Install security cameras

Whilst a home safe provides some protection from burglars, it should be used in conjunction with other measures. Investing in a professional home CCTV system allows you to monitor who is accessing your safe, acts as a deterrent against potential burglars and can provide early warning of any breaches of the perimeter of your home.

Ultimate Alarms – professional CCTV installers in Glasgow and across central Scotland (including Paisley, Hamilton, Airdrie & Motherwell) – call us today for quality security camera systems to protect your home.