A lost key or a shared code that's never updated is a small operational detail until it becomes a real liability problem -- for a client's trust and potentially for your insurance.
A lost or mishandled key isn't just an inconvenience -- it's a potential security breach of a client's home that you're responsible for, with real liability exposure if anything happens as a result. Treat key and access management as a genuine risk-management practice, not just a scheduling convenience.
Where a client allows it, a lockbox or smart lock with a rotating or temporary code reduces how many physical keys are floating around with your crew, and gives you a log of exactly when access happened -- useful both operationally and if a dispute about timing or access ever comes up.
A physical key tagged with the client's name or address, if lost, hands whoever finds it both the key and the exact location it opens. Use a coded system (job number, not address) on any physical key your crew carries.
For clients using a shared code rather than a lockbox, rotate it periodically, and immediately after any staff turnover involving someone who had access -- an old employee retaining a working code to a former client's home is a real, avoidable risk.
Have a clear policy before it happens: notify the client immediately, offer to cover a lock change if they want one, and document the incident the same way you would any other client-property issue. Delaying the notification to "see if it turns up" is the version that damages trust the most.
A simple log of who accessed which property, when, and how (key, code, lockbox) protects you if a client ever questions whether your crew was there, or when -- and it's a small habit that costs nothing to maintain once it's routine.
Access management is a liability practice, not just a logistics detail -- lockboxes and smart locks over physical keys, no address labels, regular code rotation, and a clear incident policy close most of the real risk here.
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