Inventory every way into the house. List the front door, side door, garage, gate, lockbox, and any alarm code. For each one, write who holds a copy now. This list is the starting point for the whole service, so the family should complete it before any agency calls back with a start date.
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Decide the holder for each item. The family keeps the master key and the alarm. A helper receives only what the visit requires, and only for the hours the visit covers. Write the holder's name beside each item. If the agency keeps copies at its office, write that down too.
Run the hand-off in person. Meet at the house before the first visit if you can. The family hands the key or code to the agency's named coordinator, and both sign or initial a log that lists each item, the person who received it, and the day it changed hands. A hand-off over the phone leaves no trail, so use the log even when the meeting is brief.
Keep the log in the house folder. Each line records the item, the holder, the hand-off, and the return. When a helper leaves the case, add a line showing the return or the code change. The folder should be the one place anyone can read the chain of custody for the house.
Change shared codes when a holder changes. When a helper rotates off the case, ask the agency to confirm in writing that the key came back. If a lockbox code was shared, change it. Do not wait for a problem to decide this.
Close the service in the same order. When service ends, collect every key and code, check each line in the log, and get the agency's confirmation in writing that it holds no copies. Then change any code the agency knew. Keep the log with the signed agreement.
Check the agency's own key policy. Ask whether keys leave the office, whether they are logged there, and what the agency does if a key goes missing. Get the answers in writing. Spare keys left under a mat or a planter are a family decision, and this guide does not recommend either one.