Key holding service
The protection of your staff and premises is our top priority. Manage the risk and let us respond to your alarm and CCTV activations. Our dedicated control room and security staff are ready to respond to your emergencies 24/7, ensuring your incidents are managed in a timely and effective manner.
What is a key holding service?
A key holding service does exactly what it says. We hold keys to your premises to allow us to respond to alarm activations, day or night, removing the requirement for you to have key holders on call and your own staff attending sites where there is potential danger.
Whether you’re a business owner, landlord or responsible for any premises, our trusted team are on hand to discuss your requirements for emergency response. With Relyon as your key holders, you gain peace of mind that any incidents are responded to in a timely and effective manner.
RelyOn are here to support 24/7 whether you need us to attend on your behalf or attend to shadow and ensure the safety of your employee.
Any alarm activations, whether they are intruder, fire, CCTV or panic, are picked up by our 24/7 Control Room, where we dispatch the nearest available officer to investigate.
A 24/7 control room for complete confidence
At the heart of our security operations is our state of the art, 24/7 Control Room providing a seamless response and end to end service.
Our highly trained teams are standing by, ready to respond to your alarm activations and calls for help across the UK.
Our Control Room staff are dedicated, experienced and responsive to your needs. Should your security incident require more senior support, our team of senior managers are on call 24/7 to give direction and support in the unlikely event it is needed.
A professional service delivered to British standards
Whether it be 5pm on a Friday night or 5am on Christmas morning, Relyon is there at the end of the phone to answer your call. If you need help, we’ll pick up the call.
We deliver our key holding services to the British Standard 7984 and we’re independently audited annually to ensure we not only keep to this standard but strive to find improvements year on year. The service you will receive is of the highest level providing a first class response knowing your keys are safe at all times.
Key holding service
How RelyOn key holding supports your business
Assurance
It removes the need for key holders, who may or may not be available, especially out of hours. Our team is on hand 24/7, 365 days a year.
Personnel Safety
Remove the risk of lone working and your staff having to attend premises alone. Let us manage the risk with our highly experienced team.
End to end support
From the initial call to clearing up afterwards, RelyOn provides a full service ensuring your premises are returned to use as fast as possible with minimal disruption.
Insurance
Provides compliance with insurance and can often offer a reduction in your buildings and contents insurance with an ACS approved Security Contractor acting as your key holder.
Secure locking and unlocking services
Ensuring your premises are locked and unlocked can often be a headache as well as a risk with having multiple sets of keys which can be a challenge to control. Take that risk away with our experienced and trusted team who will attend your premises, unlock and deactivate your alarms, carrying out any checks required. At the end of the day, they’ll return and reverse the process leaving your premises safe and secure.
Coordination with alarm receiving centres
Remove the risk of any communication breakdown or delay in attendance by linking your alarm monitoring station to our control room. When your alarm activates, the monitoring station calls us directly, where our experienced staff are on hand to obtain as much detail as possible allowing us to prioritise the attendance.
How we handle alarm responses
When an alarm is received in our control room, our team conducts an initial triage to identify the type and cause of the activation. This helps us prioritise the response accordingly.
Most alarms are false activations. In these cases, we inspect the premises, address the issue, and re-secure the site.
If a serious incident occurs, we escalate the situation based on the agreed site protocol and keep you informed. If you receive a call from us outside of hours, it means an issue has arisen and we will keep you informed.
What our customers say
Adam Payne
Great company who deliver to the best standards in the security industry. Management always on hand if needed and the control room staff are always polite and on hand to assist with anything that was asked.
Richard Moore
Very approachable and always willing to give excellent customer service.
Danny Gent
Cooperative Logistics Security
The Cooperative Logistics Security team have been working with Relyon for nearly a year now. Totally professional in there outlook and have achieved some great results in a short period of time. Always willing to listen and adapt to the customers requirements at short notice. Our main SPOC Simon has put together a specialist mobile security team who have performed brilliantly.
A.T (Managing Partner)
Eastville Medical Practice
We had an initial ‘deep clean’ to get the place up to standard, which they provided as part of a package. Our key contact within RelyOn, makes sure that standards are maintained – he conducts planned and unplanned cleaning audits on a regular basis. He is quick to respond to any queries and has a proactive approach.
RelyOn are very knowledgeable about CQC requirements and were on the end of the phone to answer any questions on the day of our inspection.
John Williams
Absolutely PC Limited
I would like to thank you for all the work that yourself and your team have put in to assessing, updating and advising both Absolutely PC Ltd and EC Computers Ltd with new Health and Safety, and Fire Safety, documentation and procedures.
We will continue to use RelyOn Services for any future updates to policies, or if we require
any new procedures or recommendations put in place. We will also readily recommend you to anyone else looking to review their Health and Safety polices and services.
Russ
RDT
Maxine and Kay have proven to be invaluable health and safety advisors for the organisation, assisting in maintaining compliance with all related responsibilities. Their expertise and dedication have ensured a safe work environment for all staff members, showcasing a commitment to upholding health and safety standards. Their guidance has been instrumental in helping the organisation stay on top of health and safety requirements. Their exceptional service is highly appreciated and commendable.
Sam
Western Building Consultants
We have been working with RelyOn safety for a while now and are really pleased with the help and assistance provided.
The team has made everything really simple for us and have taken us through all of the processes step by step. I really like the fact that we can have a really good time efficient
meeting with the team at RelyOn and they can take it all from there to implement what we need. Responses to ad hoc enquires have been really quick and never too much trouble. I would be happy to recommend working with RelyOn Safety.
Ellie
Solar, sun & Air
The experience we have had at Solar Sun and Air with RelyOn Safety Services has been nothing short of amazing! Kay and Maxine have both been incredibly helpful in a wide array of health and safety queries I have passed through, they have both reassured me that no question is too small or silly and I am extremely grateful for their assistance. I would be more than happy to recommend RelyOn Safety Services to anyone who needs a trusted, reliable H&S service provider.”
Lee
Vaporclean
Kay at RelyOn Safety Services has always gone above and beyond to deliver any information and documents we require. The whole team at RelyOn Safety Services are very friendly and have helped us update all our health and safety policies, risk assessments and even specialist documents that we require.
Robin
Precision Decorating
I would like to say the reason I use RelyOn is that from day one you’ve been very professional with everything you have done for me. Even when at site inductions you have been able to respond immediately to add any health and safety uplift so that it does not impact on me having to leave sites. You and your team have a warm friendly approach and nothing is to much trouble, so if you’re thinking of using RelyOn do it now you won’t regret it.
Ben/Dan
Distinction Decorating
RelyOn always provide a fast and friendly service, they always sort any problems we have and are always quick to jump on any requests we have for them.
Nigel Westcott
Head of Corporate FM, Property Bupa Dental Care
I have worked for Bupa in Property services for almost 18 years but it was at the start of last year when I became part of the operational Property team for Bupa Dental. Since this time I have worked with a number of our suppliers for this portfolio, in relation to Relyon, I can advise I have been pleased with their openness, integrity and focus on the customer needs. As a result of the way that we have been able to work together, we have enhanced the clarity on our processes, reporting and the availability of the same for the Practice team on sites. I am now working with Relyon on a plan to add a further 52 sites from another business unit in the UK.
Philip Goodland
Good security and cleaning company
Susan Nichols
Relyon have provided an excellent service over the years.
Hannah Brown
Very happy with the service that they delivered, I would highly recommend them.
4.9/5
Why our customers RelyOn us.
Key holding services
Frequently asked questions
Who can benefit from using a key holding & alarm response service?
Anyone who owns or manages a building and finds themselves, or their staff having to respond to alarms out of hours. Keyholding services play an important part of maintaining the safety and security of your premises, thus ensuring there is always someone available to respond in an emergency (24/7). When you instruct Relyon’s professional keyholding service, our SIA Licenced security team will handle your keys with care, and keep your buildings safe. It will also prevent your staff from attending a situation that they have not been trained to deal with, thus keeping them safe.
What’s included in your key holding service?
Our key holding service includes fully insured secure key storage, 24/7 alarm response, emergency call-outs, and property checks after incidents or when directed by the client. We can also liaise with the police, alarm engineers, and insurers to make sure your property is protected.
How is key holding different from alarm response services?
While alarm response focuses on attending your premises when an alarm is triggered, key holding involves securely storing your keys so that we can access your property at any time for emergencies, maintenance, or security checks. Our service combines key holding and alarm response for complete protection.
Can you patrol my site?
Mobile security patrols provide an active visual deterrent, and when carried at randomly, it can help dissuade would be criminals looking to gain access to your property. We can arrange security patrols to meet your business needs, ensuring the safety of your premises, whilst keeping the costs down against having a static guard on site.
How do you ensure my keys are stored securely?
RelyOn adheres to BS7984 British Standard for keyholding and alarm response. This standard requires us to control keys against a set of strict criteria and carry out regular audits of all keys we hold. This also supports the requirements of our Security Industry Authority ACS accreditation.
What security checks are carried out before hiring your key holders?
All our key holders are SIA-licensed, background checked, and trained to British Standards BS 7984 for key holding and alarm response. We also conduct regular refresher training and audits to ensure consistent service quality.
How quickly can your team respond to an alarm or emergency?
Our average response time depends on your location, but with nationwide coverage and strategically positioned security teams, we aim to be at your property within 20 minutes of a confirmed alarm activation.
What happens if there is a break in?
As keyholders we will immediately attend your property, liaise with emergency services, ask for a Police incident number so you can pass this to your insurance company, arrange boarding up and door lock changes via our on call maintenance team to ensure your property is secure and alarmed. In the event this can’t be easily resolved, we will supply a security guard to remain on site until the property is secured and the alarm is working. The next morning, you will also receive a detailed log of events in report form, which will include all aspects of the incident including pictures and or videos, persons who attended etc.
What happens if I have frequent access needs?
If you require regular access for your cleaners or maintenance teams for instance, we can be there to help and ensure safe access on and off site 24/7.
How can I manage lone working out of hours?
We can attend you’re property at agreed times to ensure all staff have left site safely, and make sure your alarms have been set and the building is secure. We can also carry out random welfare checks on staff working alone.
Do I need insurance for using a key holding service?
While you don’t need special insurance to use our service, we are fully insured, and our cover includes public liability (£10M), employer’s liability (£10M), and professional indemnity (£2M). This gives you peace of mind that your property is protected.
Do you provide key holding services across the UK?
We provide professional key holding services throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, covering major cities, towns, and rural areas. Whether you need commercial key holding for offices, warehouses, or retail premises, or residential key holding for private homes, our trained and SIA-licensed security officers can respond quickly to alarms or emergencies at your property.
By choosing our nationwide key holding and alarm response service, you can ensure your property is protected anywhere in the UK, backed by a reliable and fully insured security provider.
How much does key holding cost?
Our key holding services are competitively priced and tailored to your needs. Costs depend on your property location, size, and level of service required. Our 24/7 key-holding service covers both daytime and out-of-hours callouts. Any additional costs will be outlined clearly in your contract so there are no surprises.
After contacting our team, we thoroughly analyse your needs and provide a quote afterwards.
Do you offer key holding for short-term contracts?
Yes. We can provide short-term or temporary key holding services for events, seasonal operations, or during periods when your property will be vacant.
How quickly can you set up a key holding contract?
We can usually set up your key holding service within 48hrs. Once your keys are collected and securely stored, our team is ready to respond 24/7.
When considering a key holding service, what should I look for?
The top two considerations should be 24/7 service and a company that is ACS accredited. This will ensure you’re completely covered by a trusted organisation.
Are there sectors or properties that you won’t be able to cover?
We adapt our services to cover all properties and sectors. No matter your situation, you are in good hands with RelyOn’s nearly three decades of experience.
Can you provide key holding for vacant properties?
We can arrange vacant property key holding to protect business premises. This includes regular documented inspections, alarm response, and emergency access for maintenance contractors.
What happens if my alarm system stops working?
We can call out an engineer, in the event he can’t attend or a repair can’t be made, we would call you to ask if you would like a static guard to sit the site until a repair can be made. Depending on the building, It may also be possible to install a standalone remote CCTV system which would monitor the building instead of an officer, this would also involve regular mobile patrols until the alarm system is back up and running.
Can you combine key holding with mobile patrols?
Absolutely, many clients choose to combine key holding and mobile security patrols for enhanced protection. Our patrol officers can perform regular site visits, perimeter checks, and unlock/lock-up services.
Do you offer key holding for events or temporary sites?
Yes we can. We provide short-term event key holding for festivals, exhibitions, construction projects, and other temporary sites, ensuring your property is secure at all times.
Why Choose RelyOn?
With nearly three decades of industry experience across a wide range of services and sectors, RelyOn are best placed to support all of your security needs.
We are trusted by long-standing clients to always find the best solutions. Our testimonials show why they continue to Rely On us, time and time again to fulfil different security requirements.
Need commercial security services you can rely on?
Contact us with your concerns or needs and we’ll work with you to provide a plan to keep your premises, staff and assets secure.
Gemma Perrott
Head of OperationsGemma currently oversees the operation of our mobile and static divisions in the UK & Ireland. Gemma’s understanding of the static and keyholding & alarm response services means she is adapt at strategic planning & problem solving.
Gemma is the lead on several of our national keyholding contracts which include Bupa, Bath & Northeast Somerset Council, Cabot Learning Federation, Livewest, Westerleigh Crematoriums UK wide and many more.
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