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Keyholding response is one of the least glamorous roles in the security industry and one of the most legally exposed. You arrive at a premises in the middle of the night, potentially alone, with no briefing on what you are walking into.
If something goes wrong — a confrontation with an intruder, a slip on the premises, property damaged during your inspection — your documentation is the only account of what happened and why.
Most keyholding operatives I have spoken to approach the paperwork as an afterthought. It should be the first thing you think about when you arrive and the last thing you complete before you leave.
On Arrival: Record Before You Enter
Before you enter the premises, record the time of arrival, the full address, which alarm zone triggered, and the condition of the exterior — specifically any signs of forced entry, open doors or windows, lights on that should not be, vehicles present. Photograph anything that looks unusual before you touch it.
This establishes your baseline. If anything changes between your arrival and your inspection, you have a record of what was there when you got there.
During Inspection: Systematic and Documented
Record the route you took through the premises. If you clear a building floor by floor, note which areas were checked and what was found — or not found — in each. Note any unlocked doors or windows that were secure on entry. Note any signs of access that were not apparent from outside.
If you find an intruder or have any confrontation, stop recording the inspection notes and start recording the incident from that point. Time, description, what was said, what happened.
If Police Are Called
Record the time of the call, the force reference number given by the call handler, the time of police arrival, and the name or collar number of the attending officer. Do not leave the scene until you have a reference number and have confirmed what the police are doing about the premises — whether it is secured, whether forensics are attending, whether you should wait.
On Departure: Close the Record
Record the time you left, the condition of the premises on departure, what was secured and what was left unsecured and why, who you notified — client contact name, time of notification, what was communicated — and any follow-up actions required.
If there was a false alarm, record that too. The cause if known, the time the alarm was reset, and who you spoke to.
Why This Level of Detail Matters
Keyholding contracts often include liability clauses that place responsibility on the security company if the premises are found in a different condition after a response visit. A detailed contemporaneous record of exactly what you found and what you did is the only defence against a claim that damage occurred during your inspection.
It also matters for insurance purposes — both yours and the client's. An insurance assessor reviewing a claim after a break-in will ask for the keyholding response record. If it does not clearly establish what was found and when, the claim process becomes significantly more difficult.
Original Note's keyholding response template captures every element of this record at the point of occurrence — GPS-tagged on arrival and departure, timestamped throughout, sealed at submission.
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