Safe Services Guide: Installation, Moving, Removal, Repair and Opening

Safe services in Melbourne cover four main jobs: installing a new safe, relocating a safe to another room or property, removing a safe you no longer need, and repairing or opening a safe that has failed or locked you out. Each one involves heavy, high-security equipment that general removalists and locksmiths are rarely set up for, so they are usually handled by a dedicated safe company. This guide explains what each service involves, how to choose a provider and how to prepare, so you know what to expect before you book.

We are Precision Safes, a family-owned, Australian-owned business with a showroom and factory in Tullamarine and a combined 50+ years’ experience with safes. We install, move, remove, repair and open safes across Melbourne, and arrange installation and moving elsewhere in Australia through a national network. The detailed booking information for each service sits on its own service page, linked in each section below.

What this guide covers

• The four core safe services, and when you need each one
• What happens during a safe installation, relocation, removal, repair or opening
• Servicing, maintenance and lock upgrades for safes you already own
• What affects the cost of safe services
• How to choose a safe technician or safe removalist
• How to prepare your home or business for a service visit
• Answers to common questions, plus links to our detailed guides on each topic

Safe services in Melbourne at a glance

Most people only need a safe service a few times in their life, usually when they buy a safe, move house, sell a property or get locked out. The table below sums up the four services so you can see which one matches your situation.

Safe installation: getting a new safe fixed in place

Installation is the step that turns a heavy steel box into real security. A safe that is not anchored can often be tipped, levered or carried away, and an anchored safe forces a burglar to work on it where it stands. Many insurance policies that specify a safe also expect it to be fixed down, so check your policy wording before you decide.

What a professional installation involves

• Access check: measuring doorways, hallways, stairs and lifts so the safe can reach its spot without damage.
• Floor assessment: working out whether you have a concrete slab, a timber floor on joists or a suspended floor, as this decides the fixings and whether the floor can carry the weight.
• Positioning: placing the safe so the door swings fully open and the safe sits level.
• Anchoring: fixing the safe through its pre-drilled holes with anchors suited to the floor or wall.
• Testing and handover: checking the door, bolts and lock, and making sure you know how to operate and change the lock.

Choosing the right spot

Location affects both security and how easy the safe is to use every day. A spot that is out of sight, close to a load-bearing wall or on a concrete slab is usually better than a spare-room corner near a window. Our article on the best places to install a safe at home, and the places to avoid walks through the options room by room.

If you are still deciding whether anchoring is worth it for a smaller safe, read why we recommend bolting down your safe. In short, anchoring is one of the cheapest ways to improve a safe’s real-world security.

Book an installation

Our professional safe installation service covers delivery, positioning and anchoring for home, office and commercial safes. It suits new safes bought from us, safes you have bought elsewhere and safes that have been sitting unfixed for years.

Safe relocation: moving a safe to a new room or property

Relocation means the safe stays with you but changes location, whether that is the room next door, a new house across Melbourne or a new office interstate. It combines the hardest parts of removal and installation: the safe has to be released from its current fixings, moved without damage and then anchored again at the other end.

What a safe relocation involves

1. Assessing both locations, including floor types, access routes and any stairs or lifts.
2. Removing the anchor bolts and protecting floors, walls and door frames along the route.
3. Moving the safe with equipment rated for its weight, such as heavy-duty trolleys and stair-climbing machines.
4. Securing it for transport so it cannot shift in the vehicle.
5. Positioning and re-anchoring it at the new site, then testing the door and lock.

Moving house with a safe

A safe is one item your furniture removalist will usually not touch, so it needs its own booking. Our step-by-step timeline for moving house with a safe shows when to book, when to empty it and how to line the move up with your settlement dates. If you are selling and not taking the safe, our guide to dealing with a safe before settlement covers whether to leave it, list it in the contract or take it with you. For a quick overview, our earlier note on moving a security safe safely explains why this is a specialist job.

Stairs, lifts and tight access

Stairs are where most of the risk sits. A safe weighing hundreds of kilograms puts serious load on each step and on the people guiding it. Our guide to what’s involved in moving a heavy safe up or down stairs explains the equipment, the protection used on staircases and why it is not a DIY job.

Book a relocation

See our safe relocation service for moves between rooms, homes, offices and sites, including de-anchoring, transport and re-anchoring by the same team.

Safe removal: when the safe needs to go

Removal is for safes that are leaving your property for good. Common reasons include selling a home, closing or downsizing a business, replacing an old safe with a better-rated one, or clearing a deceased estate. Removing a safe still involves de-anchoring and careful extraction, but the safe then goes to resale, refurbishment or recycling rather than to a new site of yours.

What to expect on the day

The length of a removal depends on the safe’s weight, how it was fixed, the access route and whether transport is part of the job. Our article on how long a safe removal takes and what happens on the day breaks this down and lists what to have ready.

What happens to the safe afterwards

A sound safe can often be serviced and used again, while badly damaged or obsolete units are usually recycled for their steel. We explain the options in what happens to a safe after it is removed. Many of the safes in our range of pre-used and refurbished safes began life in banks, offices and homes before being checked and returned to sale.

Businesses closing or downsizing

Commercial safes, vault doors and multiple units on one site need more planning, especially if the building has a handover date. Our guide to decommissioning a safe when a business closes or downsizes covers emptying, records, lock resets and scheduling around a lease end.

Book a removal

Our safe removal service handles home, commercial and high-security safes, including heavy units on upper floors and in basements.

Safe repair and opening: when a safe won’t cooperate

A safe that won’t open is stressful, especially when it holds business takings, medication, passports or documents you need today. The cause is often simple, such as flat batteries or a keypad in lockout after too many wrong codes. Other times it is a worn mechanical lock, a failed electronic lock, a lost key or a combination nobody remembers.

Professional safe opening aims to restore access without damaging the safe. Non-destructive methods come first wherever possible, because they keep the safe’s burglary and fire protection intact. Drilling is a last resort, and when it is needed the entry point should be repaired properly afterwards. We do not publish opening methods, for the obvious reason that the same information would help a thief.

Try the simple checks first

Before you call anyone, a few owner checks solve a surprising number of lockouts. Our article on simple things to check when your safe won’t open lists them. If you have a keypad safe that has gone dead, our guide to getting back into a digital safe with a flat battery explains the model-dependent options and how to avoid the problem next time.

Lost keys and forgotten combinations

Losing a key or code does not mean losing the safe. Depending on the lock, a code may be resettable, a registered key may be replaceable, or the lock may need to be opened and changed. Our article on what happens when you lose your safe key or combination walks through proof of ownership, the options and how to prevent it happening again.

Inherited and abandoned safes

Executors and families often find a locked safe while sorting an estate, with no code and no key. Our guide for executors and families with an inherited safe they can’t open covers authority to open it, where codes are often hidden in paperwork and what to do with the safe afterwards. The same approach applies when you buy a property and find a locked safe left behind.

Book a repair or opening

Our safe repair and opening service handles lockouts, faulty electronic locks, worn mechanical locks and jammed bolts, with non-destructive opening as the first priority.

Servicing, maintenance and lock upgrades

Most safe faults give warning signs first: a keypad that beeps oddly, a handle that needs more force, a key that sticks. A short check once a year catches most of these before they become a lockout. Our annual safe maintenance checklist covers batteries, boltwork, hinges, anchor bolts, fire seals and moisture, and shows which tasks you can do yourself and which should go to a technician.

Code hygiene matters as much as mechanics. If staff, tradespeople or family members have known your code, it may be time for a new one. See how often to change a digital safe code for practical guidelines.

Older safes are often well built but fitted with a key or dial lock that no longer suits how they are used. Many can take a modern electronic lock, which adds features such as multiple user codes or audit trails. Our guide to swapping a key or dial safe lock for a digital one explains compatibility, rating implications and when an upgrade is worth it. Replacement locks from makers including Ross, LaGard and SECURAM are listed in our safe locks and accessories range, from around $43 for lock parts to around $470 for an access-control electronic lock (prices change, so check the current listing).

What affects the cost of safe services

Safe services are quoted job by job because no two jobs are alike. A small home safe on a ground-floor slab is a very different job from a commercial safe going down a flight of stairs into a basement. These are the main factors behind any quote:

• Weight and size of the safe, which decide the crew size and equipment.
• Access: stairs, lifts, narrow doorways, long carries and parking.
• Floor and wall type at each end, and the anchoring method needed.
• Distance between locations for relocations and removals.
• Timing: after-hours or urgent work, and coordination with building managers.
• Lock type and fault for repairs and openings, plus any replacement parts.
• Extras such as removing an old safe at the same visit.

For more detail, read our breakdown of what drives the cost of installing a safe and our earlier article on what affects the price of relocating a safe in Melbourne. The most useful thing you can do is send clear photos and the safe’s make and model when you ask for a quote.

How to choose a safe technician or safe removalist

A safe job done badly can damage floors and stairs, injure people, break the lock or compromise a fire-rated body. When you compare providers, ask these questions:

• Do they specialise in safes? Moving and opening safes is different from moving furniture or rekeying a front door.
• Do they have equipment for your safe’s weight and access? Ask how they will handle stairs, lifts and tight corners.
• Have they worked on your brand? Locks, boltwork and anchoring points vary between manufacturers and older models.
• Will they assess the job first? A provider who asks for photos, the model and access details is planning properly.
• What does the quote include? Check whether de-anchoring, re-anchoring, transport, disposal and lock testing are covered.
• Will they ask for proof of ownership before opening a safe? A reputable safe technician should.
• Is non-destructive opening their first approach? Ask what happens, and what is repaired, if drilling turns out to be necessary.
• Are they insured for the work? Ask what cover they hold for damage to your property during the job.

Our team has worked with banks, government and commercial clients, and with other locksmiths who need safe-moving equipment they don’t have. We also run a sister business, Lockcorp Locksmiths, so we see both sides of the security trade.

How to prepare for a safe service visit

A little preparation shortens the visit and helps you get an accurate quote. Use this checklist before any safe service:

1. Identify the safe. Note the brand and model, often on a plate inside the door or on the back, and take photos of the front, sides and lock.
2. Measure the route. Note doorway widths, stair count, landings, lift size and any tight turns.
3. Find the paperwork. Keep the manual, spare keys, override keys and purchase records together, and have proof of ownership ready for an opening.
4. Empty the safe before a move where you can, and move the contents yourself. It reduces weight and keeps your valuables in your hands.
5. Arrange building access. Book lifts and loading docks, tell your strata or body corporate, and check parking for a truck.
6. Clear the path. Move rugs, furniture and fragile items, and keep children and pets away on the day.
7. Decide the new spot for an installation or relocation, so the team can confirm the floor is suitable.

Renters and apartment owners should also get written consent before anything is drilled into floors or walls. Your lease, strata rules and state tenancy laws may require approval for fixtures, so check before the visit rather than on the day.

Buying a safe? Plan the service at the same time

The best time to think about installation is before you buy. The safe’s weight, its anchoring holes and your access route all decide how easily it can be installed, and a safe that won’t fit up the stairs is no use to anyone. Our showroom at 38 Barrie Rd, Tullamarine has over 350 new and used safes on display, so you can see sizes and weights in person and talk through delivery and installation at the same time. You can also browse our full online safe range, with delivery available Australia-wide.

If you are considering a second-hand safe, read what to check before buying a used safe first. Locks, keys, codes and any previous damage all affect whether a used safe will need repair or a lock change after you buy it.

Related guides

• How to choose the right safe for your home: sizing, ratings, locks and placement for household safes.
• Cash ratings, fire ratings and Australian safe standards explained: what the ratings mean and what insurers look for.
• Choosing a safe for your business: deposit, office, retail and high-security safes.
• Firearm storage rules state by state: storage requirements and anchoring for licence holders.

Frequently Asked Questions

What safe services does Precision Safes offer?

We offer four core safe services: installation, relocation, removal, and repair and opening. Installation covers delivery, positioning and anchoring. Relocation moves a safe to a new room or property and re-anchors it. Removal takes a safe away for resale, refurbishment or recycling. Repair and opening deals with lockouts, lost keys, forgotten codes and faulty locks. We work across Melbourne and arrange installation and moving elsewhere through a national network.

Can a regular removalist move my safe?

Most furniture removalists will not move a safe, and those who do may not have equipment rated for its weight. Safes are dense and top-heavy, and many weigh hundreds of kilograms, so moving one safely needs specialist trolleys, stair-climbing equipment and experience with de-anchoring and re-anchoring. Book a safe specialist separately from your main removal so both can be scheduled around your moving day.

Do I need to be home for a safe service?

For most jobs, yes, or someone you authorise needs to be there. The team needs access, confirmation of where the safe should go, and for openings, proof that you own the safe or have authority to open it. Being present also lets you test the lock, receive keys and set a new code once the work is done. If you cannot attend, talk to us about the arrangements when you book.

How do I get a quote for a safe service?

Contact us with the safe’s make and model, approximate size, photos of the safe and its surroundings, the addresses involved and details of any stairs, lifts or tight access. For repairs and openings, describe the fault and the lock type. Each job is quoted on its own details because weight, access, floor type and the lock all change the work involved.

Should I service my safe even if it is working?

A yearly check is worthwhile, because most lock and boltwork problems give warning signs before they cause a lockout. You can check batteries, handle movement, anchor bolts and fire seals yourself. If anything feels stiff, sounds different or needs extra force, have a technician look at it before it fails. Servicing is usually simpler than an emergency opening.

Book a safe service with Precision Safes

Whether you need a safe installed, moved, removed, repaired or opened, our team can talk you through the job and the next steps. Visit our showroom at 38 Barrie Rd, Tullamarine VIC 3043 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm), call us on 0409 860 011 or email info@precisionsafes.com.au. You can also send us an enquiry about your safe service and we will get back to you.