What Should You Keep Locked In Your Home Safe?

Whether you rent, own, or live in a college dorm—you should seriously consider the benefits of keeping your valuables in a safe or lock box. What you keep under lock and key is entirely up to you, but there are a few items that are more vulnerable or valuable than others.
 
What Should You Keep In Your Home Safe?

Below is a list of some of the most common items to keep locked in your safe:

Extra cash and emergency credit cards 

Jewelry and heirlooms
Passport and copy of all ID
Vital documents—birth certificate, marriage license, will, insurance, etc.
Contracts and business papers
Small collectibles like coins or stamps
Spare keys to home and cars
A copy of all passwords and codes

You Have Many Options To Choose From

The options in safes and lock boxes are endless. Both are available in a variety of sizes, with a variety of features and functions. Generally speaking, safes are more secure, because they are more challenging to breach, but also because they are less mobile. That being said, the innovative options in lock boxes allow you to hide items in plain sight—which is perfect for dorm rooms and shared living spaces.

Do your homework before you buy, and make sure that your safe or lock box has the features you require. As a general rule of thumb, higher security safes cost more. Placement is also key. Ideally, you want your safe to be installed in a wall or closet—but if you rent, this may not be an option. Either way, the goal is to be inconspicuous.

Don’t Forget To Upgrade Your Safe Locks

Just as with any other lock, you should periodically change and upgrade the locks on your home safe. Action Locksmiths is available to perform combination changes on all of your locks and safes—as well as a full range of residential locksmith services for Toronto home and business owners.

Source: http://www.actionlocksmiths.ca/blog/37-what-should-you-keep-locked-in-your-home-safe.html

Do You Need A Safe?

Safes come in all shapes and sizes, allowing for a multitude of residential and commercial applications. Even if you aren’t a retailer who handles large volumes of cash, a safe can be of great benefit. Safes can be built-in, or placed wherever you like in your home or business. There are even high-security lockboxes that are portable, but impenetrable without the combination or key. Below are just a few reasons to consider adding a safe to your home or business, and a handful of items you can store in your safe.

KEEPING MONEY SAFE AND SECURE

Retailers that operate with large amounts of cash require a safe that is large enough to hold deposits, cash drawers, and change. You may even opt of a safe with 2 internal compartments. Even if your business does not operate in cash, you may need a secure place to store checks and petty cash.

For home use, your safe is an excellent place to keep an extra stash of cash ideal for last minute emergencies.

STORING VALUABLES

What constitutes as valuable, may go well beyond cash. This could include jewelry, coin collections, and small family heirlooms. You might even keep keepsakes, such as original or electronic copies of family photos—or handwritten letters or cards. 

SENSITIVE INFORMATION

From sensitive financial information to backups of confidential files, to the hard copies of pertinent documents for home or business—a safe is an excellent place to keep sensitive information secure. 

SMALL FIREARMS

If you keep a small firearm at home but want to ensure it is kept out of reach of your little ones—a safe is an excellent place to secure your weapon. Just make sure that the key or combination are well hidden. 

SAFES ARE FIREPROOF

Almost every safe on the market today is fireproof, and many have waterproof features as well. This means that in the event of a fire or natural disaster, that the items in your safe are likely to be protected.

NEED SOMEONE TO REPROGRAM YOUR SAFE COMBINATION?

Many safes today are electronic, but some still use a combination lock or key. If it is time to upgrade or change the lock, we can help. We work on many different makes and models of safes and security lockboxes. Give us a call today at (416) 261-1422 to schedule your safe upgrades.

For more information please visit our site http://www.actionlocksmiths.ca

Key And Lock Maintenance For Apartment Buildings

If you just purchased a new apartment building in Toronto, Canada, or you are a property manager with a new building to manage—one of the first things on your list of things to-do is to ensure that your building is secure. Keys and locks play a vital role in your building security, and the tips below will help you to take an organized and systematic approach.

Check To See If You Have Copies Of All Unit Keys

As a landlord or property manager, you or your maintenance crew may have to enter a tenant’s unit for emergencies or repairs. You may also need to respond to a tenant lockout, so you must ensure that you have keys for all of your units. Also check the condition of spare sets of keys, and ensure they are all accurately tagged for the unit they unlock.

Assess The Current Locks And Hardware

The first place to begin, is by assessing the current locks and hardware. You want to see if the same make and model of locks and hardware is used on all doors. Then you want to consider if you want to upgrade the locks to a more modern or secure option. Don’t forget to inspect the exterior doors, and consider upgrading to keyless entry or a high security cylinder locks for exterior or common doors.

Consider Rekeying Locks For A Master Key

While each unit must have individual keys, creating a master key for your building will make it easier for you to show open units, as well as perform scheduled maintenance and emergency repairs. Also consider upgrading to a key and lock system with keys that cannot be duplicated, if not for all of your locks—at least for your exterior doors, or areas that are for employees only.

Switch Locks Each Time A Tenant Moves Out

Most apartment keys can quickly and easily be copied at a hardware or home and garden store. When a tenant moves out, they are supposed to turn in all of the sets of keys they have made—but this is not always the case. Sometimes they simply forget who has copies of their keys, such as a cleaning professional, pet sitter, ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, former roommate, or family member. This is why it is good to have a few extra sets of keys and locks on hand, so that you can easily swap out the locks after a tenant vacates.

Your maintenance crew is likely able to switch out standards locks, but turn to Action Locksmiths for your building exterior doors, for secured interior areas, and to rekey any of your apartment locks. Call us today at (416) 261-1422 to schedule your required locksmith services.

For more information please visit our site http://www.actionlocksmiths.ca