If you own expensive jewellery, watches, bullion, works of art or even cash, you need to remember to properly secure them. Storing them at home, without special protection, is a big risk of potential theft and huge losses. So it's better to deposit valuable items in a home burglary safe or in a bank depository. We are checking which of these solutions is worth choosing.
What is a safe deposit box?
When considering the choice of a safe deposit box at a bank or a home safe, let's look at both of these solutions. If you want your valuables to be protected as if they were in a vault, there is nothing stopping you from using a bank service. This is because safe deposit boxes are located in bank vaults, which are specially protected rooms with armoured doors. The vaults are of class I to XII, with class XI being the Mint of Poland's vault, for example. However, only gold bars (purchased from the Mint) can be stored there.
Safe deposit boxes are becoming less and less accessible
Although in the case of a safe deposit box one can talk about a very high level of security, one must know that such a solution is connected with limitations, e.g. in the form of specified bank opening hours. This is because a deposit cannot be taken at any time of day or night. If it is possible at all, you have to pay to enter the bank vault at an unusual time. What is more, not every bank or its branch makes space in the vault available to customers. Some establishments do not offer the deposit service at all, and others only provide access to the cashboxes in the so-called vault cabinet. In such a case the bank sets aside a special place where an employee brings the cash boxes, which is not always a convenient and comfortable solution for clients. Moreover, lockers must be reserved well in advance and you have to wait for them "in line". Renting a place in a bank vault is also connected with a monthly fee, and thus with fixed costs.
A safe – greater flexibility and convenience
In the case of a home burglar-proof safe, you only have to pay for it once and in return you get a solution that is fully tailored to your real needs – both in terms of security class and functionality, safety features and safe deposit box equipment. A home safe is also a great convenience on a daily basis. For at any time we can deposit or retrieve items important to us, without having to travel to a distant bank. It is therefore a comfortable and at the same time safe solution. If we decide on a larger safe, we can even place works of art in it. On the other hand, safe deposit boxes of larger sizes are rarely available, and prices for renting them are set individually.
Safe deposit box versus home safe
In order to decide which security measure to choose – a deposit box at a bank or a home burglary safe – you need to answer a few questions. You should consider what exactly you want to store in your safe deposit box. Banks work within certain hours, and sometimes lockers are not available in all branches and you have to choose a location further from home. So if you need electronic media, documents or jewellery, for example, it may be better to have them close at hand, in your own home.
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