Keys and alarm policy template
Most small businesses can name who holds a key today. Far fewer can name everybody who has ever held one, or say when the alarm code last changed. This is the document that turns that from memory into a list.
| Section | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To keep track of who can get into these premises and who can turn the alarm off. |
| Who it applies to | Anybody issued a key, a fob or an alarm code, including contractors and cleaners. |
| Who holds a key | The owner, the duty managers, and the cleaner. Nobody else, and a key is issued by the owner rather than passed on. |
| The key register | A list of every key and fob, who holds it, and the date it was issued and returned. Kept by the owner and checked each March. |
| Alarm codes | Each key holder has their own code, not a shared one, so the alarm log says who actually opened up. Do not tell anybody your code, including a colleague who has forgotten theirs. |
| Changing the code | Codes are changed when a key holder leaves, when a key is lost, and once a year whether or not anything has happened. |
| Opening up | Check the front before you get out of the car. If anything looks wrong, a broken window, a door ajar, a light that should be off, do not go in. Call the police and then the owner. |
| Locking up | Follow the close down list, set the alarm, check the door pulls shut behind you, and message the manager on duty that the building is locked. |
| Lending a key | Do not. If somebody needs to get in, the owner arranges it. A key is not handed over in a car park. |
| A lost or stolen key | Tell the owner the same day, whatever time it is. We will change what needs changing. Nobody is in trouble for losing a key and telling us quickly. |
| Contractors and cleaners | Issued a key only with the owner’s agreement, recorded in the register the same way, and given their own alarm code. |
| When you leave | Return the key and the fob on your last shift. Your alarm code is removed that day and the shared codes are changed that week. |
| Costs | Replacing a lost key is a business cost. Nothing is deducted from anybody’s pay for it. |
| Review date | Reviewed each year in March, when the register is checked. |
What is in the file
- Template, blank, with each section down the side and room for the answer.
- Example, the same sheet filled in for Harbourside Coffee.
- How to use, with the steps and the mistakes below.
How to fill it in
- Build the register first, even if it takes an afternoon and some awkward phone calls. The policy is worthless without it.
- Give individual alarm codes rather than one shared code, since a shared code makes the alarm log useless as a record.
- Make losing a key safe to report. A key lost quietly on a Friday is far worse than one reported at midnight.
- Put the annual code change in the calendar, because it is the step that never happens on its own.
Common mistakes
- One alarm code everybody uses, which means the log can never say who opened up
- A former employee who still has a key, because nobody was responsible for collecting it
- Taking the cost of a lost key out of somebody’s pay
What changes by trade
The law behind this document is the same wherever you trade, so the wording above is written once. What changes is what the trade puts in front of it.
| Cleaning | Your staff hold keys and codes for premises belonging to other businesses. The register has to cover every client site, and the client is told the same day a key goes missing. rostering a cleaning run |
| Cafes and restaurants | An opener arrives at 5:30 in the dark, alone. Pair the opening check with the lone worker policy rather than treating it as a key question only. rostering a cafe |
| Pubs and clubs | Licence conditions and gaming areas mean some doors are restricted to named people. Say which keys are limited and who authorises an exception. rostering a pub or club |
| Retail | Shopping centres add a second set of rules, including after hours access and centre security. Say who is registered with the centre as well as with you. rostering a shop |
| Security | Client keys are held in a controlled cabinet, signed out per shift and signed back in. That is a stricter standard than the one above and it is the one to write. rostering a security business |
| Childcare | Access control protects children, not stock. Say who can open the gate, how a visitor is let in, and that a code is never given to a family. rostering an early learning service |
Sources
The official pages this wording was read against, on 22 September 2026.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
Roster Flow ends somebody’s access to the roster, their shifts and their timesheets on the day their employment ends, which is the same day the key and the alarm code should go. Doing both at once is the point.
Questions
What is on the keys and alarm policy template?
14 sections down the side, running from purpose to review date. The example beside them is filled in for Harbourside Coffee: who holds a key, who knows the code, and what happens the day somebody leaves.
Does the keys and alarm policy template work anything out for you?
No. It is a document with 14 sections to answer in your own words, not a calculator. Nothing on it is a formula.
Can I use the keys and alarm policy template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open keys-and-alarm-policy.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with keys-and-alarm-policy.csv. The document and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the keys and alarm policy template ready to use as it is?
The keys and alarm policy template is a starting point for Harbourside Coffee or any business like it, to adapt rather than sign. The wording was checked against the official sources on 22 September 2026, it is not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.