How to Record Keys and Fobs Handed to a Tenant So Check-Out Can Reconcile

Keys go out with a WhatsApp “that’s everything”, and six months later nobody can say how many mailbox keys or communal fobs went out. Knowing how to record keys and fobs handed to a tenant in the UK means one schedule line per item — door, type, count, serial or mark, condition — a photo of the laid-out set, a lock test before they leave, and a signed receipt. You will count that same list back at check-out.

Saturday. Megan’s hallway table in Bristol: two front-door keys, a black communal fob, something for the meter cupboard. Nobody writes serials. Nobody tries the mailbox. The tenant signs the inventory “as seen”. At check-out they return one fob and a window key that does not turn. The WhatsApp from move-in says “keys given”. The risk is a check-out argument over memory, not a count-back.

Disclaimer: IziRento is operations software, not legal advice. Local tenancy rules vary; check a qualified adviser for binding decisions.

How do you write one schedule line per key or fob?

Write one line per access item — the door or lock, the type, how many, a serial or painted mark, and whether it works. “Keys given” is not a line. Mailbox, window, garage, meter cupboard, communal fob, parking permit, and codes each get their own row so check-out can count them back.

Do list each type separately. Do not write “a set of keys”. TDS AskTDS: keys are often overlooked, yet missing-key claims are common — log types and numbers, including garage or communal-gate fobs. The TDS inventories guide wants which door, how many issued and returned, and serials on high-security keys or cards. “Keys” includes fobs, access cards, and parking permits.

A key schedule is one written line per access item. A fob is a proximity token for a communal door or gate. For example, “2 × front door Yale, painted red” beats “front door keys”. Typical mistake: skipping the mailbox key. Put codes on the same page — live digits stored securely. Do not start a room-by-room check-in inventory here, and do not start a welcome pack.

Where should you photograph the laid-out set?

Empty the rings onto a plain contrasting sheet, space the items, and keep tags in frame. One group shot is the file. A dark pocket photo of a keyring, or a close-up of the cuts, is not. Keep the teeth out of frame.

Do shoot the set on a table. Do not photograph key teeth. Inventorai: group shot on contrasting paper, space between items, optional close-up of a serial sticker only. TDS asks you to describe and photograph every key and fob, and to label each in the shot. That is the access photo — not a room lesson.

If a serial sticker is unreadable in the group shot, take one extra close-up of that sticker. Stop there.

Why test every key and fob on the actual lock?

Try every key and every fob on the door or reader it is meant to open before the tenant leaves. A stiff back-door key that never turned is not issued access. At check-out, a lookalike that does not turn is not returned.

Do test on the lock. Do not hand over a bunch you only counted in the hallway. Relentify: assemble, count, photograph, hand over, then the tenant signs. Try the mailbox. Try the garage remote. If it does not work, fix or re-cut before handover and update the line.

Typical mistake: assuming the black fob that “looks right” opens the gate. In practice the wrong bunch comes back more often than people admit.

When to get a tenant to sign for the keys?

Count the items into their hand against the list, ask them to sign the schedule or the inventory key section, and give them a copy. If they will not sign, email the list and the set photo the same day and keep the sent record.

Do get a signature or a same-day sent copy. Do not invent an e-sign product as the only valid receipt. NRLA: keys noted on the inventory and signed for at check-in; at check-out, all keys issued at the start come back.

If they refuse, write “declined to sign”, email the list plus photo, and keep the sent timestamp. Stop before rewriting the tenant welcome pack; contacts and bin day live there, not on this page.

Build the schedule → Lay out and photograph → Test on the lock → Hand over and sign → File with the tenancy → Count back at check-out → Missing item = line + invoice

How do you count the same list back at check-out?

Open the start schedule. Collect every item. Count. Test each one on its lock again. Photograph the returned set. Write missing or damaged as a file line — not “looks like two keys”. Bring that start page to the walk.

Do use the same list. Do not invent a second inventory on the doorstep. TDS wants what came back written on the check-out. Keys cut during the tenancy come back clearly marked. A returned key that does not turn is not returned.

The room walk is a different job. If you need the empty-home comparison, that is the tenancy check-out report. Here you only reconcile access.

What evidence sits on a missing-fob line?

A missing fob is a written line plus a locksmith, agent, or HOA invoice or quote for the actual replacement cost. A round “£200 lock change” with no paperwork is a weak claim. Do not invent a fixed fob fee.

GOV.UK “Fees you can charge”, updated 7 July 2026, treats a lost key or security device as a permitted default fee — a charge the agreement already allows — only if it is in the tenancy, and only the evidenced replacement cost. Shelter England (1 May 2026): reasonable, and written proof.

TDS AskTDS: replacement cuts are often treated as reasonable; a full lock change is judged on merits. mydeposits awarded a £90 lock-and-keys invoice in full where check-in versus check-out showed the keys were not returned. Do not treat £90 as your fee.

TDS missing-items test: prove it was supplied, prove it is missing, prove value, keep the figure reasonable. Vague “keys given” fails the first test. Attach the invoice to the missing-fob line; the deposit evidence pack is a different file.

Success bar: one line per item, a laid-out photo without the cuts, a lock test before they leave, a signed or same-day emailed receipt, the same list counted and tested back, and a missing line plus an invoice if you claim. Verify that checklist before you close the file. Then stop with confidence.

A workspace that keeps the property, the lease, inspections, and related records together can hold the schedule, the set photo, and the count-back. IziRento is operations software for that file.