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What legal knowledge do we need to pay attention to when using the safe deposit box?

Updated: Jan 20, 2021


For those who rent a safe deposit box in a bank or safe deposit box rental company, the following story is very necessary to look at, it will play a very good warning role!


Think about it, if you open your safe deposit box next time, it is empty, how helpless and angry you will be?

You will be thinking, why is this? Opening a box requires 2 keys, my own key has been on my body, and I have never lost it. I never thought that this would happen, but it has already happened, the bank will compensate me for the loss, or the insurance I purchased will compensate. My loss. Are you sure?

Last October, I found my box is empty! 2018 was obviously not a happy year for Okla. He told me that he went to the bank to check his safe deposit box, but when the bank employee opened his box, it was empty, and there should be cash and some gold jewelry inside. That is his lifetime savings, worth more than 300,000 US dollars! Because they are not familiar with stocks and other investment methods, Oklah only uses cash and deposits them all in the safe deposit box.

The bank staff told Oklah: the box underneath him had to be opened, but when the locksmith came in and drilled, something went wrong.

The bank staff did not wipe out any active action on the problem that the box was empty. Oklah had no choice. He called the police and chose to let the police handle the problem.

After investigating for some time, the police interviewed the bank and Oklahoma, but the bank’s manager denied the bank’s responsibility and they could not compensate Oklahoma’s cash and jewelry losses. Oklah was on the scene after receiving such a reply. Fainted and was taken to the hospital.

The bank does not bear any liability, why is this? We all want to know that they are not responsible for the protection of the safe deposit box or the corresponding insurance?

The bank cannot guarantee the quantity and list of items stored in the safe deposit box! The lawyer told us that in the contract of the safe deposit box, the bank does not bear any liability for compensation, and many people think that they should receive all protection.

The average customer will only pay a few hundred dollars in rent. It does not cover the cost of insurance. If the damage is caused by floods, earthquakes or hurricanes, the banking industry is not liable.

But there is no sign of breaking the box, the items in the box are completely gone, how can this happen?

This is because the cooperation between the bank staff and the locksmith is wrong. If the customer's key is lost, it is necessary to destroy a box. The locksmith invited by the bank will be approved to enter the vault. The bank staff should always be with the locksmith. However, bank staff are often limited in staff and will return to their jobs.

Inside the vault, a skilled locksmith can lock on the box in a matter of minutes, take out the things inside, and there are no obvious signs that indicate problems.

With such problems, the bank needs to cooperate with the police to trace the theft of the locksmith, trace the whereabouts of the stolen goods, and trace the stolen items back to the customer.

So how do we protect our property? What can we do to hold banks accountable for such theft?

The lawyer provided a simple list of operations:


1. Go to the bank at least 3 times a year to check the items in the safe deposit box. The bank will record your visit time and reduce the chance that the bank thinks you have given up the box.


2, using a mobile phone or video recorder to take photos and videos, you need to be able to display the time, and someone to visit your safe deposit box, this person will take the contents of the box you visit, leave photos and videos at home to prevent Such an accident


3. If your safe deposit box is really stolen, there is no doubt that someone has opened your box. You have photos and videos in your hands as evidence to sort out what is inside. The bank will have to take responsibility if there is insurance. If you can, you can recover all the losses.


4. Seek help from the police and lawyers. They have enough experience to help you deal with such problems.

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