All businesses know the importance of security, but some take it more seriously than others. Commercial companies need their premises to be secure 24/7, with advanced alarm and CCTV systems that keep their equipment, stock, and supplies safe.
On top of these, keyholding is a crucial security measure businesses need to consider. When paired with our alarm response teams, keyholding is one of the most valuable services we provide.
What is Keyholding?
Keyholding involves handing over a set of keys to a professional security provider like us. These aren’t your main set; you’ll still have full access to your premises at all times.
The purpose of keyholding is so that, if your alarm goes off outside of working hours, our trained officers can respond immediately. This is the alarm response part of the service. Without alarm response, you might as well leave your spare keys at home, as you’ll be the one who needs to act when the alarm goes off.
With a set of their own keys, our alarm response team will enter your property, investigate the issue, and manage any necessary actions, such as liaising with emergency services or contractors. You’ll still be informed but can rest assured that everything will be handled properly.
Once the issue is resolved, the keys are returned to storage. They will be kept in a highly secure location and will only be used in the event of an emergency. If for any reason you need your spare keys back, such as losing the original set or changing the locks, we can release them immediately, day or night.
The Importance of Keyholding
When your alarm is triggered, it’s important to act fast. But if you live far away from the premises, intruders will have plenty of time to steal or damage your property even if you set off immediately. If you are able to catch them in the act, would you know the best course of action?
Our teams cover a wide area, but we always make sure there is one close to your premises to minimise their travel time.
Running a business is already stressful; if you also handle your own security callouts, you’re doubling the pressure unnecessarily. By leaving it to our professional team, you guarantee that your property is as safe as it should be, and any complications are handled by one of the best security providers in the UK.
That leaves you to focus on what matters most: running your business.
Keyholding for Commercial Properties
There are a number of businesses that need to keep their premises safe. This includes:
- Retail – Stores, Warehouses, Depots
- Healthcare – Hospitals, Clinics, Pharmacies
- Industrial – Factories, Plants
- Residential – Unoccupied Properties, Blocks of Flats
These are all essential, but a large quantity of our clients need keyholding for their commercial properties, even in the busiest sectors, no office is open 24/7. This means there will be times when the building is unoccupied. During these quiet hours, you need to set your alarm and lock up securely.
To keep your commercial property safe, you have two security options:
Keyholding or On-Site Security?
Keyholding is often used as an alternative to hiring your own security team.
Larger companies can hire security who will be present at your property outside of office hours. They, alongside your alarms and cameras, help to keep the building safe.
This has some advantages. For example, as they are already on site, your security can act immediately if the alarm goes off, and don’t lose valuable time travelling. They can also monitor your cameras for anything that doesn’t look right and investigate accordingly.
However, the cost of employing security can be too steep to justify for many businesses. Even if it’s within budget, you can reduce your costs without sacrificing security. Keyholding and alarm response is not only a much more affordable alternative, but also proven to be more effective too.
Some business owners like having human security, as they’re easier to trust than cameras and alarms. But humans can be unreliable too and can miss something or make a mistake that our security systems wouldn’t. We take great pride in the systems we supply and do everything we can to keep them in prime working order for as long as you need them.
It isn’t just the cost of hiring security that adds up fast either. If they’re stationed in your building all night, they need facilities to operate from. When space is limited, sacrificing valuable office areas for a security office will affect your productivity and restrict expansion later. There are the energy costs to consider too. Cameras and alarms don’t need to keep the lights on, helping you to minimise your electricity bills each month.
Why Choose our Keyholding Service?
Now you know how important keyholding is, and why it’s better than on-site security, but why should you choose us over our competitors?
Commercial businesses use our keyholding service for several reasons. The first and most important reason is that we understand security better than anyone. If you already use our alarms and CCTV cameras, it makes sense to make the most of our keyholding service too.
Security is all about trust. With over 25 years of experience, we put our money where our mouth is. Our trained callout teams know how to handle potentially dangerous situations, without ever escalating the issue, or damaging your property. With a sparkling reputation and thousands of satisfied clients, you can trust us to help you.
Last but not least, our keyholding service helps to keep you compliant. For some commercial businesses, keyholding services help in meeting insurance requirements and health & safety regulations.
Areas we Cover
Our keyholding and alarm response service covers a large portion of the North West, including Greater Manchester, East Lancashire, and parts of Merseyside.
We support over 1000 clients already and expand our reach every year as new ones join. Whenever this expansion occurs, we make sure our alarm response teams can still reach the premises within the time we advertise, and are available 24/7, so we can say with confidence that they’ll be there in time.
If you aren’t sure if we cover your area, please get in touch.