Safe installation
Safe Installation in Farnborough
Call with your postcode for a current arrival estimate.
- 24-hour emergency cover
- No call-out charge
- Price agreed before work starts
Need a Safe Fitted Properly?
Wilds Locksmiths Farnborough fits home and business safes, anchoring each to a solid floor or wall so it meets the manufacturer's requirements and your insurer's.
The grade you paid for only counts if the safe is installed properly, since an unfixed safe can be carried away whatever its weight. There is no call-out charge.
Why Installation Is What Decides Whether Your Insurance Pays
The bolts matter as much as the steel. Here is why.
Insurers attach a cash rating to a safe to show how much they might cover inside it. That figure is granted on the basis that the safe is fitted the way the manufacturer specifies, which for virtually every rated model means it is anchored into a concrete floor or solid masonry. Left freestanding on floorboards, wedged into a wardrobe or fixed to plasterboard, it falls short of that specification. If thieves take it away, the question of whether the rating applied will be asked when you make a claim.
Most insurers require rated safes to be fixed, and the way yours is installed may affect your cover. Because policies vary, it is worth checking your wording and confirming with your insurer exactly what they want.
Not every safe suits every position. Its design, measurements and weight, the maker's instructions, the route into the property and the chosen spot all play a part, so we assess each job individually before confirming it is something our safe installation service covers.
About the safe: make and model; approximate height, width, depth and weight; the instructions or manual; whether it is at the property already; whether it is new, used or being relocated.
About the property: what kind of building it is; the floor the safe is going on; stairs, tight doorways or other access problems; the proposed area; the wall, floor or structure around it.
Gaps in that list are no problem. You get the fixing method and final price confirmed before anything starts, and if the location will not take the safe, you hear that plainly. For access to a safe that is already locked, use safe opening.
Cash Ratings and Eurograde: What Is Your Insurer Asking For?
Your insurer may have asked for a safe of a certain rating or grade. Before choosing one, it helps to know what each term covers.
| What you were given | What it refers to | Confirm with |
|---|---|---|
| A cash figure | Cash stored in the safe | Your insurer |
| A valuables figure | Jewellery, watches and other high-value items | Your insurer |
| A grade | Burglary resistance under EN 1143-1 testing | The safe's certification and your insurer |
Cash ratings and valuables ratings
Put simply, a cash rating points to how much cash an insurer may be prepared to cover in that one safe. Insurers can apply their own policy conditions, so it is not an automatic limit. Possessions such as jewellery and watches fall under the valuables rating, which may be accepted at a higher level than the cash figure; the calculation, though, differs between insurers, and a standard multiplier should not be taken for granted.
Eurograde and EN 1143-1
Testing to EN 1143-1 classifies a safe's burglary resistance. Pass it and the safe may be assigned a resistance grade, commonly known as a Eurograde.
Not every safe that is sold is actually certified
Descriptions such as "high-security safe" are marketing, not certification, so look for the plate or label that records the grade. Because ratings and grades only count once your insurer accepts them, ask them to confirm the required cash rating for the amount you mean to store, and confirm the level with them directly, before you pick a safe.
We Fit These Safes
From a home safe in a bedroom to a deposit safe behind a shop counter, the range below covers the usual requests.
- Home safes, for cash, jewellery and important documents
- Commercial and cash-handling safes, for shops, offices and licensed premises
- Fire rated safes, for documents and data
- Wall safes and underfloor safes
- Deposit safes, so takings can be dropped in without opening the unit
Each one still needs the right position. The manufacturer's instructions may dictate how it is placed or fixed, and the spot has to work with its design, weight and the use you have in mind. We weigh up the surrounding structure, the access route and the conditions around it before any installation, since the construction and condition of the floor or wall determine suitability. No fixing method is picked until both the safe and the structure have been assessed.
Moving the safe safely through the property comes before fitting it. Stairs, tight corners, narrow doorways, floor loading and cramped working space can make a location impractical, so please do not move a heavy safe into position until the route and area are confirmed. The owner must be able to open it without obstruction, and moisture and heat need thought when documents, digital media or sensitive items go inside. In the end the position balances fitting requirements with access and everyday use. Business premises can also see our commercial locksmith page.
Where a Safe Should Be Fitted
A good position hides the safe, keeps it convenient enough to use every day, and puts it on a structure that can hold it. Rating and certification should be settled first, so the fixing suits the right safe.
Where it should not be put
Start by ruling places out. Avoid the obvious hiding place such as a bedroom wardrobe, anywhere in view of a window or door, a surface that cannot bear the weight, and damp areas that slowly damage the safe and what is in it.
Fixing to the floor
The most common method uses the manufacturer's fixing points to bolt the base into solid concrete. A suspended timber floor is not good enough.
Fixed to the wall
Solid masonry suits smaller safes and recessed wall safes; a stud wall or plasterboard never does.
Underfloor safes
Concealed beneath the floor and set in concrete, very hard to remove, and always planned work because the floor is opened.
Certification and your insurer
The rating of a safe describes the protection it has been assessed to provide, and the right rating depends on what you store, its insured value and your insurer's conditions. Safes tested and certified to the European standard EN 1143-1, which classifies burglary resistance in safes and related storage, may be assigned a resistance grade called a Eurograde, describing tested resistance. Even so, it does not automatically establish how much an individual insurer will cover. Different standards may apply to other products, and fire resistance is tested separately, so a fire-resistant label does not automatically mean a burglary grade. Look for the certification plate, check manufacturer, model, standard, grade and certifying organisation, and compare them with the documents or the certifier's product records where available. Marketing such as "high-security safe" proves nothing on its own. If certification is needed for insurance, ask your insurer whether it accepts the specific safe, certificate and rating before buying or arranging installation, and confirm what you will store, its total insured value, the rating and any installation conditions.
Bought a Safe Already? We Can Fit It
It does not matter where your safe came from. Whether it was ordered online or picked up from a retailer, we fit it to the manufacturer's specification, which is often exactly what the seller's delivery leaves out. Just contact us before moving it into the spot you have chosen. We need the same information as the checklist above: what the safe is, and what the property is like. Our assessment of it is followed by confirmation of whether we offer installation for the specific model and property. Anything that would stop the job, such as a position that will not take the safe or a safe unsuited to your insurer's requirement, is raised before work starts.
Installation of a Key Safe
For families supporting someone at home, a key safe can take a lot of worry away. It is a small box mounted on an outside wall, holding the door key behind a code, so carers, relatives or an agency can let themselves in whenever they call, even if the person inside cannot get up to answer.
It needs fitting with the same care as any safe. Choose a position hidden from the street, and anchor it into solid masonry rather than render or mortar joints, because the box is only as secure as the way it is fixed and where it sits. Care providers and some insurers ask for police approved models built to a recognised standard.
Other common uses: - holiday lets with self check-in - letting trades in while you are out - shared access for family or neighbours
Your council or housing association may arrange one as part of a care package, so ask them first.
Tell us about the safe.
Give the manufacturer, model, dimensions and approximate weight if you know them (a photo works too), say whether it is new, used, already at the property or being relocated, and describe where you want it and whether the route involves stairs, narrow doors, tight corners or other restrictions.
We review it.
We look at what you have sent and explain whether we need more details or an on-site assessment, then confirm the position and the work required before installation begins.
You approve the price.
We price your job on the call from your description; it holds unless the job differs on site, with changes explained before work starts.
Locksmith pricing
How Much Does Safe Installation Cost?
There is no single price for fitting a safe, because no two installations ask for the same work. The final figure comes down to the safe, how easy the property is to get through, where the safe is going and what has to be done there. The main factors are:
- The safe's size and weight, which can mean additional handling, more than one technician or proper moving equipment, and which govern how it is carried through the building.
- The route in: stairs, narrow doorways, tight corridors, restricted parking and how far the position is from the vehicle.
- The substrate, assessed against what the safe's installation requirements call for, since that decides the fixings, materials and working time.
- The type of fit, from the quickest job, a small home safe bolted onto a concrete floor, to the most involved, an underfloor safe set in concrete.
- The safe's history and paperwork: a used or relocated safe differs from a new one with its own instructions and fixings, and missing information may mean extra checks before the work is confirmed.
Share the make, model, dimensions, rough weight and intended position if you know them; a photo of the safe and of the spot makes the quote more accurate. You are given the price on the call, and no call-out charge applies. You pay for the work carried out, any parts needed, and VAT. Rates outside Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, are higher, but the call-out itself is never charged.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
Safe Installation Across Farnborough
Fitting is booked work for homeowners, landlords, shops, offices and licensed premises across Farnborough. The visit area is every postcode in GU14, from South Farnborough, North Farnborough and North Camp to Cove, Fox Lane and West Heath, in a built-up area of around 60,700 usual residents (Census 2021, ONS). Cove is mostly houses, and North Camp has a high share of private renting (Census 2021, ONS; indicative), so a safe may be going into a family home or a rented one.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Book a Safe Installation in Farnborough
Call 01252 493213 to book a time; we can also advise on where the safe should go before it is delivered, which can save money. There is no call-out charge, and the price is given before work starts.
- Phone: 01252 493213
- Booked work: Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
01252 493213
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a safe have to be bolted down?
For nearly all rated safes, the answer is yes. The cash rating depends on the safe being installed to the manufacturer's specification, and that generally means anchors into a concrete floor or solid wall. A safe that is not fixed can be carried off regardless of its weight. Policies vary, so it is worth checking the wording and confirming requirements with your insurer.
What cash rating do I need?
Use the rating your insurer confirms for the contents and their total insured value, subject to your policy conditions. A safe's cash rating indicates the cash amount potentially covered there; differing policy conditions mean it guarantees no insurance limit. Requirements from the insurer may cover accepted certification and resistance grade as well as ratings for cash and valuables. Before purchase or installation, request written confirmation of its requirements and the cash rating suitable for your intended cash amount.
What is a Eurograde safe?
It means the safe has been independently tested under EN 1143-1 and given a grade on the European scale for high-security safes. The scale begins at Grade 0 and climbs, each level having resisted a longer, more determined attack in testing. For most homes Grade 0 or 1 is enough; retail and hospitality often require 2 or 3. Discuss high-value stock with your insurer. Note that the grade does not guarantee a particular cover level; each insurer will set its own.
My safe says "security safe" on it. Is that certified?
Not necessarily, and it is worth checking. Many safes sold in the UK carry a manufacturer's own description or star rating without independent EN 1143-1 or EN 14450 certification, and those have no recognised cash or valuables rating however solid they look. Look for a certification plate or label naming the standard and the testing body, not just a number printed by the maker.
Can you fit a safe I have already bought?
In most cases, yes. We fit safes bought from other suppliers to the manufacturer's specification, once we have reviewed the details of the model and the property and confirmed installation is available. Contact us before shifting it into position. If the chosen spot cannot take it, or the safe falls short of your insurer's requirement, we raise that before any work.
Where is the best place to put a safe?
A good position balances concealment, a solid fixing and convenience. Solid concrete flooring is usually the ideal base. Keep away from obvious hiding places, from anywhere that can be seen through a window or door, and from damp. And keep it reachable: a safe that is a struggle to open is a safe that tends to be left unlocked.
Can you fit a key safe for a carer?
That way carers, family or an agency can get in safely to someone who cannot reach the door. Care providers and some insurers require police approved models, so check before you buy.
How much does safe installation cost in Farnborough?
The price depends on the size and weight of the safe, the fixing method, what the floor or wall is made of, access to the room and whether it is a simple bolt-down or an underfloor job. There is no call-out charge. Describe the safe and where it is going when you ring, and the price you are given holds unless the job on site turns out different, in which case you are told first.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01252 493213, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.