Securing a safe in a rental

[ARnut]

I have a problem and I’m hoping OSA can help me solve it. I have a 20 gun safe that is small enough 2 people can carry it. Without bolting it to the floor, how do I make it more difficult to steal? I’ve thought about adding weight to it, but not sure what to use.
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[TinkerTanker]

Making it heavy won't work. They'll just dolly it off. Best thing to do is bolt it down and cover the marks when you move with patches from an inconspicuous spot (assuming carpet). If it's VPF, you can drill through it and fill the holes with caulk. I doubt they'd notice.

 

[bigred1]

Bolt it to the wall and if you move spackling is your friend.

 

[Firpo]

Yup, I second bolting it to a wall.

 

[HillsideDesolate]

When I lived in rentals I would bolt to the floor or wall in a closet so the damage wouldn't be noticed

 

[mr ed]

As a landlord, Use a stud finder and mark before drilling. Nothing pisses me more than 20 holes trying to find the stud. In mine, drilling the floors is a no-no. Walls are fine and I usually tell tenants to let me know cause I got dollies and pvc pipes to roll it on so they don't mess the tiles or hardwoods.

 

[dieseltech09]

If its not wide enough to hit two studs then screw 2x4s to the wall hitting the studs and then lag bolt the safe to the 2x4s. Its not perfect but its better than nothing.

 

[Parks 788]

If its not wide enough to hit two studs then screw 2x4s to the wall hitting the studs and then lag bolt the safe to the 2x4s. Its not perfect but its better than nothing.

This, or, you can find a stud in the wall and drill 4-5 small holes in the back of the safe in a vertical line, depending on the height of the safe. Use some 5/16"x3.5" GRK Structural Wood Screws into the vertical length of the one stud. In the end this is going to help with the smash and grab theives. Most of what you cna do in a rental is going to deter these types. In an owned home you have more options to secure. With enough time, a scumbag will get anything they want.