Where do you keep your valuable documents? In the kitchen drawer? In the box under your bed? A bag behind the couch? Or do you have a filing box sitting in the corner of your room? If you own a business, are you keeping them in a safe?
It can be hard to know where to keep valuable documents so that they are easy to access when you need them and safe. Read on to find the best places for your documents.
What Classes as a Valuable Document?
Before you place those documents anywhere, you need to know what to keep. Insurance companies list valuable documents as something that you may be able to claim in the event of loss or destruction of said paperwork. By the standards of insurance companies, the following documents are valuable.
- Sale Documents.
- Title Documents.
- Seller Agreements.
- Business Agreements.
- Company Material Contracts.
- Supporting Documents.
- Lockbox Agreements.
- L/C Documents.
- Public Documents.
- Indenture Documents.
- Assigned Agreements.
- Commercial Agreements.
- Material Contracts.
- VIE Agreements.
- Investment Agreements.
- Asset Documents.
- Financing Statements.
- Collateral Agreements.
If this list is a little too much for you to handle, keep in mind the 5 main ones.
1. Medical Documents
2. Financial Documents
3. Legal Documents
4. Identification Documents.
5. Property Documents.
These main 5 will cover most of the documents that you need to keep safe.
The Best Places to Keep Your Valuable Documents
There are multiple ways to ensure the safety of your lockbox. Ultimately how you store them depends on your own circumstances. However, if your valuable documents are in your home insurance, you should always check to see if there are any safety criteria to meet for the insurance to cover them. For instance, some insurances will require you to use a lockbox or a safe for certain valuable documents, like proof of assets.
Use a Safe
Having a safe in your home with either a digital or standard lock increases the safety of your documents. It makes it less likely that a thief can steal them, and it protects them from any potential flood or fire damage. You will know the codes to your safe so you can still access them when you need to.
Use a Lock Box
One of the greatest things about lockboxes is that they are fireproof. If the house burns down, your papers will still be safe. They are also waterproof, so your documents will be protected from water damage. Note, though, that some cheaper lockboxes have been known to spring a leak, so it is always wise to seal your documents in a waterproof bag. Here are some other features that make lockboxes stand out.
Organization
Lockboxes can come with compartments inside, so it is easy to organize all of your paperwork. They can be like little filing cabinets. Or they can be like a single drawer with a key.
Easy to Move.
Another plus of a lockbox is the many places you can hide them. A safe is a bit obvious and can be hard to move. A lockbox can sit in your closet, behind your couch, or under your bed, and your documents will stay safe.
On the downside, neither the lockbox nor the safe is 100% foolproof. Both are vulnerable to a burglar with the right lock picking equipment. So, if you need to keep your documents extra safe, consider using a safety deposit box.
Safety Deposit Boxes
Because a safety deposit box is not something that you keep in your home, you will not have easy access to your documents. On the other hand, if anything was to happen to your home, you know your documents are safe. People who offer safety deposit boxes often have their own security and insurance to ensure that your documents are as safe as possible.
Backups
If there is a document that you will not be able to manage without, it needs to have a backup. This can be another physical copy stored in an extra safe place or a digital copy.
Digital copies are easy to store online, on your computer, or on memory sticks and chips. By backing them up onto a memory stick, you can leave that item in a safety deposit box. This is a good way to keep all your documents safe from your home while still having your originals at home.
Keep Your Valuable Documents Safe in Miami
If you need help finding the right safe for your valuable documents or would like any more advice on improving the safety of your home, contact Quickly Locksmith at (305) 984-9922 or through our contact us page to learn how we can help you.
