Safe opening

What the job covers

• Opening a safe whose code has been forgotten or whose key is lost
• Opening an electronic safe whose keypad or lock has failed
• Repairing or replacing the lock after opening, so the safe can be used again
• Changing a combination or fitting a new key lock
• Fitting a new safe and bolting it to the floor or wall

Safes lock out their owners for ordinary reasons: a forgotten code, a lost key, flat batteries, or an electronic lock that has failed. Many small home safes have an override key, or a point for outside power, for exactly that reason, so look for the override key and try fresh batteries before calling anyone out. If neither works, the job needs a locksmith who opens safes, often called a safe engineer.

How a safe is opened depends on the safe. Cheap electronic safes can often be opened quickly and without damage. Higher-grade safes, the kind rated for cash or for insurance cover, are built to resist attack, and opening one may mean drilling and then repairing it so the safe can be used again. A careful engineer explains the method, and the cost of putting the safe right, before starting, and says whether it will still meet its rating afterwards.

Proof of ownership comes first. Expect to show ID and something that links you to the safe: the property, a purchase record, or the business that owns it. A safe in a rented home, inherited property or business premises may need the owner's or executor's written agreement.

After opening, the lock is usually repaired or replaced, codes reset, and new keys cut if the old ones are lost. Override and replacement keys for many makes, Yale among them, can sometimes be ordered against the safe's serial number. A new safe should be bolted to a solid floor or wall, and an insurer's cash rating for the safe often depends on that fixing.

Ask for the total before work starts: opening, any repair, a new lock or keys, and VAT. Give the make, model and size of the safe and the kind of lock it has, and say whether you have tried the override key and fresh batteries. Ask whether they can open it without damage, and if not, how it will be repaired and whether it will keep its rating. Have ID and proof that the safe is yours ready; a careful safe engineer asks before opening anything, and may want the owner's written agreement.

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