You may only have minutes to gather and secure important documents in the event that you are confronted with an emergency like a fire or flood in your home. Documents to be saved include financial and medical paperwork such as birth, marriage and death certificates passports, other types of identification; details about insurance policies; as well as deeds or title documents. Replacing these documents is difficult and right here time-consuming. Therefore, it is essential to secure them in case of disaster. The best method to do that is to inventory your papers, creating additional copies for easy access and storing them in the right safe.
Bank safe deposit boxes are a great way to store important documents. If you cannot afford this then you can purchase an insurance-compliant safe for documents and place it in your home. They come in a variety of sizes, and can be used to store hanging folders. You’ll want to select one with a solid lock to stop burglaries and that has an ULC rating of at least an hour at temperatures of up to 1,700 degrees F. The Honeywell 1104 is a good option and costs around $125, but it’s the size of a mini-refrigerator and weighs 56 pounds, meaning it’s not portable.
You can also utilize an office drawer or cabinet that has a combination or lock to secure important documents from theft. This will not protect you from a natural disaster, and your documents may be damaged by heat or humidity. Consider using a labeled file system to protect paper files. Keep them in envelopes or boxes marked with a label so that they don’t get lost or destroyed accidentally.
