Count the keys. Check the card and remote, too.
Receiving a keyring does not tell you what every key opens. Name each item and count it separately so that the next handover has something useful to compare.
Count by type, not just by total.
“Four items received” leaves too much room for interpretation. Two keys on the same ring may open different doors. Identify what each item is for during the handover rather than guessing later.
For example: two apartment keys, both tried; one building access card, tried; one parking remote, not yet tested; no mailbox key supplied. This is an example, not a list to copy as if it described your own home.
Present, working and untested mean different things.
A remote sitting on a table has not necessarily been tested. Record what you actually checked. Keep “missing”, “not working” and “not tested” separate.
In a furnished holiday rental, distinguish the TV remote from the air-conditioning remote. If a battery cover is missing or a case is cracked, photograph the whole remote and the relevant detail. Describe what you see without guessing its cause.
Give the photo its handover context.
Arrange the items so their types and quantities are clear. Keep the property reference, date and arrival or departure stage with the list. A photo of keys alone does not establish who handed them over or when.
Avoid publicly sharing keys together with an address label, lockbox location or entry code. Use an appropriate private channel for access codes, and review the recipient and contents before sharing a report.
Count again when you return the items.
Open the arrival list as a reference, then count what you are actually returning. Receiving two keys at the start does not mean both were returned at the end. Label the direction clearly: received or returned.
If an item is missing or will be returned later, say so. Keep another person’s explanation separate from your own observation. Where possible, review the list together; it does not decide liability by itself.
Make your own handover list.
Use the rental-home checklist for a tenancy or the separate arrival and departure columns for a holiday stay. Print any details you enter before leaving the checklist page; the PDF download is a blank template.