[Adam P]

me again.

i've got staff who will soon be given keys and alarm codes to a building and i just want to make sure i do everything correctly.

do i need a separate agreement form which the staff will sign saying something like "I (cleaners name) will hold a copy of keys for (property). i accept i will not write down the address any where near these keys, give to anyone else, or lose them."

would this be enough to cover myself? how about charging if the cleaner loses the keys? one site has 2 sets of 7 different keys so quite a lot of money to get them all re-cut all over again.

also 2 more questions related to keys.

1. if a set of keys is lost would the customer need to be notified? we have tags with numbers on them so it's not possible to identify where they're for.
2. would the customer need to be notified if we get a copies cut?

[garyj]

I had a form I used to get cleaners to sign when handing over keys, but it's not worth the paper its written on!!

I once had a situation where the cleaner refused to hand the keys back, even with the Police involved there was nothing they would or could do as the keys weren't stolen. What they did say was if anything was to happen to the building then they would be their first call!

Yes of course you should inform the house holder or company if the keys go missing, I would think it would be the least you could do and also offer to pay for immediate lock change.
If I was you I would have a written agreement with the customer that you would not get keys cut.
I often read your posts and you seem sensible, but some serious mistakes here.
What would you think if you entrusted your keys to someone and they went and made copies without your approval?

[Adam P]

depends what it's for imo, i'm talking about commercial properties here rather then domestic as we don't do these at the moment other then eot and one off cleans.

I've yet to copy a set without customer agreement as we've only cut a couple of sets (it was suggested by customer and they said to charge them for it) however i often thought about getting more cut as and when they go to cleaners but wanted to check if it was something we should tell the customer or if it's perhaps an assumed thing. I couldn't imagine a big company emailing the customer to say "hey we're cutting your keys today" etc.

if we have an agreement to say we wont cut keys then how would this work for area managers checking the site if they give just one set?

same with losing keys as it's a commercial site i wonder how important it would be as the site has security in place any way plus they can't be identified. i've worked for companies before and they didn't seem to bothered when staff once had lost the keys so perhaps this is why i'm thinking like this.

If it's not worth anything can i not do anything to

[garyj]

It's not worth anything but at least you look professional to the customer and you 'look' like you have covered yourself. A lot of the keys you get for commercial property will be stamped with a number, this means it is illegal to copy them, most key cutters abide by this and refuse to do them.

I've had cleaners lose keys, once a whole set for Stannah Stairlifts went missing, I told them straight away and the replacement locks and keys cost a fortune to replace, I think it was around a thousand pound, might have been more ( it was over 5 years ago now).

Best time to check a building is when the cleaner is on site towards the end of the shift, any problems can be raised then as well.   

[Robert Parry]

Hi Surrey,

Like most things in life, there is the right way, and the wrong way to do things!

When a client hands over their keys to you, they assume that you have all the proper procedures and insurance in place. Yes, you should have a written agreement in place with staff, that is legally enforcable, just writing down something and getting them to sign it, will, as Gary's experience shows, not suffice!

You should also have insrance in place to cover the loss or theft of your clients keys, this cover can be obtained from your insurance broker, you should be aware, that there will still be an "excess" to cover any loss.

You should inform the client of any loss or theft straight away, the clients insurance company may well insist on replacing all locks.

Regarding alarm codes, you should state in your contracts, that when a member of your staff leaves, for whatever reason, entry exit codes need to be changed, this will protect you against any future claim, should a non invasive theft take place.

Regards,

Rob