Identify and label
Know the main door, back door, gate, bedroom, store, utility and cabinet keys where applicable. Label spare keys sensibly.
01 Control
Keys · isolation · access · emergency response
Handover is not complete when someone gives you a large ring of keys and a folder of manuals.
You should know which keys open which doors, who controls digital systems, where essential shut-offs are located and how important systems behave when normal operation fails.
02 Controls
Physical keys should be counted, identified and labelled. Digital systems should transfer administrator access to the homeowner rather than leaving permanent control with the installer.
Emergency isolation points should be physically located—not vaguely described as being “somewhere outside” or “near the utility area.”
Know the main door, back door, gate, bedroom, store, utility and cabinet keys where applicable. Label spare keys sensibly.
Collect administrator access for smart locks, automation, CCTV, security, doorbells, networks, solar monitoring and other installed systems.
Physically locate the main water shut-off, main electrical isolation and distribution boards. Understand basic labels and safe user controls.
Know pump switches, automatic or manual behaviour, isolation and service contacts. Where gas exists, know its isolation point and basic operating information.
03 Fallback
Automated gates should have a known manual release for power failure. You should understand normal operation, failure operation and who services the system.
Automation should also be considered when Wi-Fi, internet, hubs or app accounts fail. Critical systems should not become mysterious simply because a digital layer has stopped working.
A simple house control map can bring the essential information together: main electrical isolation, main water shut-off, pump control, gas isolation, gate release and other critical controls.
Could you find the critical control quickly during an emergency?
04 Check
Control information should belong to the homeowner and remain easy to retrieve after the project team leaves.
Choose the information that gives the homeowner essential control.