Most families treat access as a one-time handoff. You give a key on the first day and assume the question is closed. It is not closed. A key, a lockbox code, or an alarm code keeps working after the visits stop, after the caregiver changes, and after the agency moves on. Access that outlives the job is one of the quieter things that goes wrong in home care, and it is easy to catch if you know where to look.

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What you are actually handing over

List every way into the house. Write each one on its own line.

  • Physical keys, including spares cut for the front door, back door, garage, and any gate.
  • Keypad or lockbox codes, and whether the code is the same one used at the front door.
  • Alarm or smart-lock codes, and any app logins that open them remotely.
  • Garage door remotes and any key hidden outside.

Each line is a door. If you cannot say how many doors there are, you cannot check whether they are closed.

Who should hold each one

Keep a short key log in one place, either in your own hand or in a shared document that only the family edits. For each item, write who holds it, when it was given, and what it opens. Ask the agency to confirm in writing whether its staff are issued keys, codes, or nothing at all. Some agencies do not issue keys and require the client or a family member to unlock the door, or they set a lockbox code only for the arrival window. Either arrangement can work. What does not work is a vague one.

Where the access slips

These are the common points where access stays open after it should have closed:

  • A caregiver leaves the agency or moves to another client, and nobody tells you.
  • A lockbox code is shared by text with a substitute aide and never changed afterward.
  • A spare key goes to a neighbor, a friend of the agency, or a relative who was only meant to help once.
  • An alarm app stays logged in on a phone the family no longer uses.
  • The agency sends a temporary aide during a gap, and that aide keeps the code long after the gap ends.

Early signs to watch for

You will rarely see a lost key directly. Look for these instead:

  • The lockbox or keypad code works on a day when no visit was scheduled.
  • Someone you did not expect is at the door, and the agency cannot name them from its schedule.
  • The alarm log shows a door opened at an hour when no visit was planned.
  • Items in the house are moved, and no visit log explains it.
  • A caregiver mentions a code, a key, or a door in a message you did not ask for.

Any one of these is a question to ask, not proof of anything. Ask it the same day, and ask it in writing.

What to ask the agency before the first visit

  • Which staff members can see the lockbox or alarm code, and how many people is that in total?
  • When a caregiver is removed from your household, how is the code changed, and who confirms the change to you?
  • Do you change codes on a set schedule, or only when something goes wrong?
  • Will you tell me before any new person receives access?
  • Can you show me the access log for my home, and how often will I receive it?

An agency that answers each question plainly is describing a process. An agency that says the matter is handled and moves on is leaving the gap open. Write down which answer you heard.

Close the doors when the job ends

When visits stop for any reason, do four things the same day. Change every code. Collect or disable every spare key you can reach. Ask the agency to confirm in writing that its staff no longer hold access. Remove the agency from any shared app, and log out of the alarm app on any phone you no longer use. If the family member still lives in the home, keep them informed about who has access and why, because the house is theirs.

Access is a small line in the arrangement, and it is the easiest one to leave untouched. Put it in the log, check it at the start of each month, and treat every unexpected entry as a question that needs a written answer.