AiS Approved Safes
Importance of Insurance Approved Safes
When trying to find the ideal secure storage solution for your home or business you may have come across the term AiS Approved in reference to safes. This is an accreditation used to distinguish which safes have been approved by the Association of Insurance Surveyors. The AiS is a highly respected and well-known body of individual risk control and reduction experts working in the UK insurance sector, which helps to assure that their approval is highly beneficial when it comes to securing your valued assets.
It ultimately means that such safes surpassed the relevant testing requirements that are recognised as providing appropriate protection and meeting the necessary security standards by UK insurance providers.
In simpler terms, AiS approved refers to 'Insurance Approved Safes'.
If you are planning on buying a safe for insurance purposes, focus your attention on safes that have been marked as AiS Approved. When you find a suitable safe, by making sure it is AiS approved, this means your insurance is more likely to accept it.
If the safe is not AiS approved, there is a good chance your insurance will not accept it. We always recommend speaking to your insurance first to clarify what safe they deem as appropriate for your insurance needs
By insuring your assets through an insurance company, means in the case of damage or theft that you can be reimbursed for what has been lost. In order to meet insurers requirements, most will tell you to buy an AiS approved safe.
If a safe states that it is not AiS approved, this means insurance companies will in most cases, not insure your assets. This is because these types of safes do not meet their requirements
Insurers will look at the cash or valuable rating of your assets to determine which safe they deem appropriate. Insurance approved safes will have cash ratings usually starting from £2000.
Cash ratings on safes help to determine how much cash needs to be put into a safe. For example, if you were looking to insure £2000 worth of cash, your insurance would give you certain requirements that the safe will need to have so in this case you would require a safe with a minimum cash rating of £2000. If you planned to put extra cash into this safe, you would not be insured for any money that goes over £2000. If you plan on storing extra cash into a safe, you need to make sure the safe's cash rating reflects that.
If you are looking to insure valuables, the valuables rating on safes go by how much valuables are worth. For example, if you were looking to insure jewellery which was worth £20,000, you would be given certain requirements that the safe will need to have, in this case you would need to purchase a safe with a valuables rating of £20,000.
Due to the differing values of items you may wish to store, valuable ratings on safes will be higher than cash ratings. To determine a valuables rating, the cash rating of the safe is always multiplied by 10. If a safe has a cash rating of £2000 the valuables rating will be £20,000.
In order to have a safe that is insurance approved, your insurance will require the safe to be installed to the manufacturer’s recommendations. An insurance approved safe (AiS approved) will usually have base fixing holes and be heavier in size compared to other safes. Please check the requirements from your insurance first before purchasing a safe.
Insurance companies will normally give you a certain time period that a safe has to be in place for the insurance to be valid on your cash or valuables. Although this is the case, do not rush into purchasing a safe. Speak to your insurance first and make sure that the safe you purchase honours their requirements.
If you do not follow your insurance requirements your insurance company may refuse to cover your cash or valuables.
Take a look at our insurance approved safes perfect for your home and office.
Feel free to get in touch for more information on 0161 819 6888.
