18 June 2026
What to expect from a key holding service
Handing a set of keys to a security company is a practical decision and a trust decision. You are letting someone open your building when you are not there. A proper key holding service should be able to explain, in ordinary language, where the keys live, who can take them, and what the officer will do at 1am.
Expect the keys to be identifiable. If you have three branches, three sets should not sit on one ring with a handwritten tag that has rubbed off. Expect a log when keys leave storage and when they come back. Expect the officer who attends to be licensed for that work. SIA licensing applies to the individual. It is not a badge that says the company is an approved contractor, and we do not use that description.
Expect an instruction sheet that you have agreed. Which door, which alarm code process, who to phone, what to do if a window is open, what to do if it is not safe to enter. An officer should not invent that on the kerb. If we attend and the sensible decision is to keep people out and call you, that is a result, not a failed visit.
Do not expect a universal response time. A site in Darlaston is not a site in Coventry. Traffic, distance from our Walsall office, and whatever else is happening that night all change the journey. Any firm that prints the same minute guarantee for the entire Midlands is selling a sentence. Ask them what they do when they cannot meet it.
Do not expect key holding to replace a broken lock, a dead alarm or a site that is being targeted every night. If people are forcing the door, you need a physical presence as well, usually mobile patrols or a static officer at the vulnerable hours. Keys get an officer inside after the event. They do not stand in the yard all evening.
Our office can talk this through on 07565 546554 in office hours. If you want a quote, list every address and say whether you also want patrols. We will tell you if key holding alone is the wrong tool.