Access and Keyholder Log

Who this is for

Who has access to what, and since when. Every key, fob and door code issued goes on a line with the person and the organisation it went to, the date it was handed over and the date it came back, with a tick for anything still outstanding.

Facilities teams, landlords, caretakers, clubs, halls and small sites that hand keys and codes to staff, contractors, cleaners and volunteers and need to know where they went.

What this helps you track

• Every key, fob or code issued, against a reference you can quote
• What each one opens, in plain words
• Who holds it, for which organisation, and who authorised it
• How long each one has been out, counted in days
• A running count of what is still out and has not come back

How to use it

1. Write the site, where keys are kept and who is responsible for the cabinet at the top.
2. Give each key, fob or code a reference and use the same one every time it is issued.
3. Fill in the date out and who took it as the key leaves your hand, and have them sign for it.
4. Tick the Out column and leave it ticked until the key comes back.
5. When it is returned, write the date back and untick the column; the days-out figure works itself out.
6. Change a code or recall a key when a holder leaves, and write what you did in the notes.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How is this different from the key control register?

The register is the standing list of what keys exist and who normally holds them. This is the movement log: issued on a date, back on a date, and how long it was out in between.

Should door codes really go on the same sheet as keys?

They are the same problem — something that opens a door and has been given to somebody. Record the code reference rather than the code itself, and keep the sheet where the codes are not readable to a passer-by.

Where should this sheet be kept?

Somewhere secure, because it is a map of who can get in. How secure is a decision for your own procedure and the rules where you are.

What if a key is lost?

Leave the line open, tick it as still out and write what happened in the notes. A lost key stays on the record until the lock is changed or the key is found.