Tool theft is on the rise in the UK. The latest figures available cover 2023, when there was a 5% increase in tool theft from 2022, amounting to a staggering £98 million in stolen items. 

If you’re a contractor you’ll be only too aware that if you lose your tools:

• You’ll lose money for lost days of work while you borrow or buy replacements.
• You’ll be out of pocket until your insurance policy pays out (if you’re insured). 
• If you’re in the middle of a job when your tools get stolen, there’ll be a delay to finishing that job which will then have a knock-on effect on other work you’ve got lined up. Customers won’t be happy and you could suffer reputational damage.
• It can be very difficult to find a replacement that’s as good as the item you’ve lost.

If your tools are stolen, you’ll need to report the theft to the police, and make a claim against your insurance policy if you have one. Many tradespeople don’t bother with insurance policies because the premiums rise with each claim and the excesses are often almost as much as the cost of replacing some items. If you have insurance, make sure you have photos and serial numbers of your items to support any claim and to help police try to recover them if possible.

Prevention is much better than cure, so to avoid the financial sting of having your tools stolen, consider how you can stop them being stolen in the first place.
 

Best ways to protect your tools from theft

Van Security
Most tool thefts are from work vans parked at home. Many tradespeople and contractors have spent considerable amounts of money retrofitting their vans with extra security. Geofencing (which creates an alarm or alert if your van goes beyond a set geographical boundary), upgrades to locks, and van trackers with 24/7 monitoring are popular options. Yet work vans are still a very attractive target for opportunist and organised thieves alike. 

There’s little evidence that stickers declaring that “No tools are left in this van overnight” have a significant deterrent effect, because most opportunist thieves won’t mind breaking a window just to check. Plus, most thieves know that contractors rarely have the time and energy after a long day at work to actually empty their vans when they get home!

Parking so that the rear or side doors can’t be easily opened to gain access to your tools is an easy yet practical idea; also, always park in well-lit, populated areas.

Storing your van inside a locked garage at home can reduce the risk of your tools being stolen. If you have particularly expensive tools, though, be mindful that organised thieves may target your vehicle wherever it’s kept, putting the security of your home at risk.

Make your tools too hot to handle
Mark your tools with your postcode in UV pen to aid later identification, and keep photos of your tools to use on social media if they go missing. Spread the word far and wide that those items have been stolen from you, and ask others to keep an eye on selling sites. 

You could also spray paint or otherwise mark your tools to make them appear highly distinctive, making them less attractive to thieves who want to sell (or use) anonymous-looking gear.

You can register your tools with their serial numbers on a national database, so if you do lose them and they’re later recovered elsewhere in the country they can be returned to you.

Store your tools securely
Storing your tools away from your work van won’t stop thieves breaking into your van. You might still end up with a vehicle or window repair bill. But at least if your tools are kept elsewhere, you won’t have to stand the cost, time and inconvenience of having to replace them.

You can store your tools at home in a secure locked cabinet or toolbox - get one on wheels that you can load and unload from your van each night to make life easier. Better yet, let it be widely known that you keep your tools away from your vehicle and home, safely tucked away in a self storage unit. 
 

Benefits of self storage for work tools

Our self storage units are indoors, in large stores covered by CCTV and alarm systems; you’ll be the only person who can access your unit. You will need to have contents cover but your tools will be a lot safer in our units than they would be in your van or at home. Many of our units have drive-up access, so you can drive your van to the entrance, unload your tools, lock up and head home. 

We have stores all over the country, close to major road networks, so have a look to see if there’s one you could stop at on your way home each day. You can rent a unit for a couple of weeks at a time, and we offer discounts if you want to stay for more than a year. For the most part, our stores are all open daily.

Why not work out the cost of replacing your tools if they were stolen? Then add in the value of having peace of mind that your tools are stored safely away for the night, ready to collect the following day for work. If you think that renting a secure self storage unit is worth it to protect your tools and livelihood, please get in touch with one of our team members who can give you all the information you need on where, when and how to arrange to rent one from us.