The crew arrives at seven. The client is at work. The key is with the electrician, and the electrician is on another site until ten. An hour of four people on the pavement costs more than any key arrangement. Without a note, everyone is sure someone else opens.
An occupied apartment, or one the client still lives in, is not an open site. Only people who need to be there that day go in, at the hours you agreed. The key, the code, and the name of who is home sit on the project, not in one person's head.
What you write
- How many keys there are, and who holds each one
- A code or intercom, if there is one, and when it was changed
- Which hours entry is allowed, and who from the home is there
- Which rooms are closed to the crew
- Who to call if nobody opens
If the key moves from person to person during the week, update it the same day. A key that moved to the tiler and was not written down is a key you cannot find on the day the tiler does not come. At the end of the day the key goes back to the person on the note, it does not stay in a pocket.
An apartment the client lives in
Write who is home and what must not be moved. A child's room stays closed, a cupboard is not opened, a dog, hours when drilling is not allowed. These are not manners. They are why a client stops the job in the middle of a week. The crew reads the lines before they go up, not after a complaint.
Do not leave the apartment open when you go out for material. Lock it, even for ten minutes. If you cannot lock it because the key is not with you, do not leave until someone stays. An open apartment with nobody in it is your problem, even if the client said leave it open.
When the lock or the code changes
A new code is written the same day for whoever enters tomorrow, and the old code comes off the note. Do not leave both. A lost key is written at once: who held it, when it was last seen, and whether the cylinder has to be changed before you continue. Wait on the change only if the client confirmed in writing that the key was found.
On handover day the keys go back to the client, and the note closes: how many were handed over, how many were replaced, and the crew holds no copy. A copy left with a subcontractor after handover is a key that is no longer yours, and you need to say so before you leave.
A day that does not open on time is a day you pay for with no work. The short note is what opens the door.