Checking keys out and back in

Use the actions on a key’s Details page to record who has it, when it is due back and what happens when it is returned. These actions require Update permission for Key Register.

Open a key

1. Select Key Register from the main menu.
2. Search for the required key and select its key code.

You can also open a key from a Property or Housing Group’s Keys page.

Check out an available key

1. On the key’s Details page, select Check Out.
2. Select the recipient. Staff and Contractors appear in separate groups. Choose Other at the top of the list to enter a recipient’s name manually. Tenants are not offered as a recipient group.
3. Enter a due-back date and time if a return deadline is needed. A date without a time is treated as the end of that day. Leaving the deadline blank displays No deadline.
4. Add the reason or notes and save the checkout.

The key becomes Checked Out, with the current holder and deadline shown on its Details page and in key lists. The overdue label appears when a set deadline has passed.

Check a key back in

When the key is returned, open it and select Check In. Add return notes and save. This closes the checkout period, records who checked it in and changes its status to Available. Due Back then displays a dash.

Transfer a key to another recipient

If a checked-out key passes directly to someone else, choose Options → Transfer. Select the new recipient, enter their return deadline if required, add notes and save.

The transfer closes the previous holder’s period and starts a new one. Check the new deadline on the transfer form: leaving it blank means the new holder has no deadline. Affinity also records who performed the transfer.

Set or extend the return date

For a checked-out key with no deadline, choose Set Return Date. If a deadline already exists, the action is Extend Return Date. Both use the same form.

The existing date and time are prefilled when set. Enter a future deadline; an extension must be later than the current deadline. Add a reason and save. The key stays with its current holder, and the reason is retained in the key’s notes.

Lost and found keys

Choose Mark Lost when an available or checked-out key goes missing. Add notes explaining what happened. The key becomes Lost, and its last known holder is retained where applicable. Affinity records who marked it lost.

If it is recovered, use Mark Found and add recovery notes. Any open checkout is closed and the key becomes Available.

Retire a key

Use Retire for an available or lost key that is no longer in use. A checked-out key must first be checked in or marked lost. Retired records remain in the register but cannot be checked out.

Read notes and Key History

Key Notes on the Details page brings together notes entered during key actions, including checkout, return, lost/found and return-date changes.

Open History for the sequence of checkout periods, with holders, checkout and return dates, due-back deadlines, outcomes and notes. Transfers show the change between holders, and the relevant actions identify the staff member who recorded them.

Export the register

Open Admin → Exports and choose All Keys to download a CSV of the keys you can access. You need access to both Exports and Key Register.

The export contains current key records, including retired keys and excluding deleted keys. It does not include Key History, and it is not limited by the search or filters currently selected on the central register.