When it comes to protecting valuables inside of your home, there is no better option than a good combination-locked safe. Usually made with fire-proof materials and tucked away in an inconspicuous spot, the home safe will easily make you feel like your valuables are well protected. The combination lock on a safe makes owning one even more personalized and secure. However, some safe owners will go for years without ever changing their combination. Even though this may seem ideal so you never forget what the number sequence to your safe is, there are some pretty pertinent times when the combination should be changed. 

When Someone You Trust Is No Longer in the Home 

Whether your child moves away to college, you lose a trusted roommate, or you get a divorce, changes in household composition should always signal a change in the combination. Even if you have not willingly shared the combination to your safe, it is possible that someone leaving the home knows at least part of your number sequence, and they may even have it jotted down somewhere. To make sure your access code never falls into the wrong hands, you should change the combination within days of someone leaving the home. 

If Your Digital or Home Security Has Been Potentially Compromised

If you are like a lot of people, when you first obtain a safe you will jot down your code somewhere, either digitally or on paper, just to use as reference until you get the numbers down pat. If you have lost your phone, had a computer security attack or threat, or even fear that the wrong person has spotted your combination in your home office, it is better to go ahead and change your safe's access code immediately. It may seem a little overzealous, but you are much better off to change the code if you just suspect that it has been exposed than to find your safe has been accessed without your permission. 

When You Have Your Safe Maintenanced

Although most safes are designed to work well for many years without problems, you may occasionally have to have work done on perhaps the safe door or locking levers. Even though safe maintenance professionals can typically be trusted, it is a good idea to change your combination after you have had an outsider do work on your safe just in case. 

A combination-locked safe may be one of the most secure ways to keep your valuables locked away in a safe, but you must make sure that the combination is changed at specific times during your safe ownership. Talk to a home safe expert for more advice about changing the combination you have as needed.