Small business keys and doors audit
Do this audit once a year and whenever someone leaves the business with a key. You come away knowing who can get in, which doors really lock, and what to fix first.
Who holds access
- Make a list of every key, card and fob, with the person and the door
- Count spares and write down where they live
- Remember outside holders: cleaning crew, trades, the property owner, the alarm company
- Mark the keys that any hardware counter could copy
- List every code that is shared: door keypads, the alarm and the safe
When a person leaves
- Get keys, fobs, cards and remotes back before they go
- Turn off their card or fob that day
- A key that never came back: rekey or swap the core on every door it fits
- Reset each code they had
Every door to the outside
- Swings shut and latches by itself, even in a strong wind
- The latch meets the strike cleanly, without dragging
- Cylinders turn easily, free of salt, rust and grit
- Panic bars open with an easy push and the path to them is kept clear
- No keyed lock on the inside of a door people use to get out
- The back and loading doors get the same attention as the front
Choose a fix
- A few doors and staff who stay: rekey when a key is lost, and look at restricted keys
- Shift work or frequent hiring: cards or fobs on the main entrances
- Different people need different doors: a master key system or access control
- Tired hardware on a door that sees heavy use: replace it with commercial grade
Keep on file
- A key log, updated whenever a key changes hands
- Whether your lease says the property owner must approve door hardware changes
- This sheet, with your lease or building records