Buying a safe in the UK / EU

There is a published list by the Association of Insurance giving recommended ratings for safe models made before 1997

There are defined standards under EN1143-1 which guide insurance companies to rate safes.

Rough guide

Grade Zero cash cover £6000 or valuables up to £60000

Grade One, cash cover £10000 or valuables up to £100000

Grade Two, cash cover £17500 or valuables up to £175000

Grade Three, cash cover £35000 or valuables up to £350000

Grade Four, cash cover £6000 or valuables up to £60000

Grade Five, cash cover £100000 or valuables up to £1000000

A good safe should last for many decades, a decent safe will be heavy so changing it out is not a simple task.

Wall safes and those fitted into floorboards are not rated for fire or security. Only freestanding safes or those installed into a concrete floor have ratings for insurance.

Ideally a safe should be fixed to concrete floor, if that’s not possible then this could lower the cover offered. You would need a higher rated unit to get required insurance cover.

Decide where you can have a safe. It should be reasonably accessible so items are secured after use rather than abandoned on your dresser.

Start by having a good think about what you are keeping now and plan to have in the future.

Fire safes are not usually secure, and Security safes don’t insulate to data standards. It may be better to have one safe for security and a separate fire safe for important documents.

Consider that valuables such as gold or watches can increase in value. Individual items of high value can change how insurance companies calculate risk. For example your jewellery worth £50000 altogether, could be stored in a safe rated at £60000 valuables. However if one item is worth £15000 on its own, then they can insist on a higher grade of safe.

Always aim for a safe with higher rating than you need. Just having near neighbours burgled can change the risk profile on renewal of insurance.

Mixed cash and valuables, the rating given for jewellery is generally ten times the cash rating. However that does not mean you will be covered for the combined total value. The idea being that an amount of cash is a bigger target and higher risk than family jewellery, if you frequently store £1000 or more cash then that will detract from the jewellery cover and reduce the value of claim you would receive. See also

“Underinsured” clauses in your insurance, in some cases they will only pay out 10% of the value if they decide your jewellery is worth more than declared.

Once you have a list or rough total of valuables then check with your insurance,  in writing, about their requirements.

Before the EU standard EN1143-1 the manufacturer’s made the best safes to tackle current burglary techniques and be assessed by insurance experts to get high ratings. After the standard tests were introduced, manufacturers switched to making the cheapest safe which could just withstand an attack for the minimum defined time. Many safes made since 2000 are extremely lightweight compared to older units. This can be beneficial if you want it upstairs but not if a heavily equipped gang attack it.

You really need someone to give honest advice about modern safes, the info plate gives rating and weight but not quality evaluation. What is acceptable for a careful householder is often a poor choice for commercial use.

Many low price domestic safes are really poor quality imports. Ok if you are just screwing it to a wall for quick basic protection, but please don’t buy a cheap safe and cut into brickwork or concrete it in.

If you do suffer a break in and the perpetrator has found a safe, then you need to evaluate risk again immediately. They often return with friends and more tools to try again a few weeks later.

Second hand safes can offer fantastic value for money. But you need to be sure what you are buying and that the mechanism is intact and reliable.

Many locksmiths shops will have new and second hand safes to suit domestic or light commercial customers. For larger units there are specialist companies.

www.locksmiths.co.uk have a list of approved vetted Locksmiths.

Reliability

Mechanical combination locks top the list, but are fiddly to dial open, especially in dark corners.

Key locks are great, but hidden keys might be found or accidentally thrown away, carried keys might be lost or stolen.

Electronic locks are extremely convenient and can be very secure. The cheap ones are often not secure. All electronic locks will fail, sometimes they only last a few years.

There are defined standards EN-14450 for “secure storage units”

These are often sold as S2 or S4 “safes” but many are too lightweight to earn that description.

The locks fitted to EN1143 safes do have to be security rated meeting EN1300 and of the correct grade.

The locks fitted to EN14450 do not have to be security rated, quality varies.

So despite having clear standards which should help you choose the correct safe, you are still better off seeking expert advice before any costly purchase.

Hope that helps

Alan Morgan QML