Safe
deposit lockers are used by people who want to protect important documents,
expensive items like heirloom jewellery, or emergency money reserves, among
other things. Storage lockers are most commonly located in bank vaults, and are
rented to banking customers. A safe deposit locker is usually protected by at
least one lock, often more, and is generally made of indestructible material.
The term “safe deposit
locker” is primarily used in Great Britain and current and former British
Commonwealth countries, including Australia and India. Most North Americans
would refer to the same concept as a “safe deposit box.” The term nearly always
refers to a safe that exists as one unit among many, usually in the vault of a
bank or other financial institution. Hotels occasionally will also maintain a
bank of safe deposit lockers for guest use, particularly if room safes are not
available. Sometimes personal lockboxes in homes and offices are referred to as
safe deposit lockers, but most of the time, freestanding units are simply
called safes.
