Why Should I Register My Warranty and Add My Family & Friends to My Invoice?

Don’t Lose Access to Your Safe

Every week, Northwest Safe helps customers with lost combinations, warranty service, and emergency safe openings. We also regularly help family members or trusted friends access safes when someone is sick, out of the country, or has passed away.

Taking a few simple steps now can save your family time, stress, and money later. It can also help if your safe is damaged in a fire, involved in a break-in attempt, or if you forget your combination.

Many safe manufacturers keep records of combinations or master reset codes for their customers. But proving ownership is often required before that information can be released.

Here’s how to make sure you — and the people you trust — can access your safe when needed.

4 Steps to Help Prevent Lockouts and Access Problems

1. Register Your Safe Warranty

If your safe manufacturer offers warranty registration, complete it as soon as possible. When registering your safe:

Add your spouse or another trusted person if possible
Double-check that your contact information is correct
Keep your login information in a secure place

2. Add Trusted People to Your Invoice or Account

Ask the safe company to add your spouse, family member, or another trusted individual to your customer account and invoice.

Then request an updated copy of the invoice showing their name.

This can make it much easier for your loved ones to get help with:

Lost combinations
Lock repairs
Warranty claims
Emergency safe openings

Without proof that someone is authorized, safe companies may not be able to release information or provide access.

3. Keep Your Sales Receipt Somewhere Safe

Your sales receipt helps prove that you own the safe.

Store a copy:

Outside of the safe
In a secure file cabinet
With your attorney
Or digitally in a secure cloud storage account

This can be extremely important if:

You forget your combination
The safe is damaged
You file an insurance claim
You need warranty service

4. Have a Will or Estate Plan in Place

A will or trust can help your family legally access your belongings, including your safe. One the will has been set in motion with a court recognized document (like a letter of testament or letter of administration), a safe technician can open the safe. Typically, the trust can be used with proof of death, like the death certificate, to get this process started. Important: Do not store your only copy of your will inside the safe.

Make sure trusted family members know:

Where your will is stored
Who your attorney is
How to contact them if needed

Understanding Power of Attorney and Safe Access

A Power of Attorney (POA) can allow someone to obtain a safe combination or reset code while the safe owner is alive.

However:

A POA is no longer valid after the owner passes away
A death certificate alone usually does not grant access to the safe

If someone is not listed on the safe registration or invoice, they may need legal documents showing they have authority over the estate.

These documents may include:

A trust
A will with court-issued testamentary documents
A successor affidavit if there is no will

A successor affidavit is typically prepared by an attorney and approved through the court process. If the estate is under $250K, a successor affidavit is typically used.