Lock-up and unlock service options: scheduled, ad hoc or out-of-hours

Opening and closing a shop, office, gym or warehouse often falls to whoever is left last, or who arrives first. That works until rotas slip, keys go missing, or someone is asked to attend alone after dark. A lock-up and unlock service puts those attendances on an agreed procedure with an SIA-licensed officer, rather than on whichever member of staff happens to be free.

This guide answers a practical buying question: what lock-up and unlock options exist, how a visit works, and when scheduled cover, ad hoc bookings or out-of-hours access are the better fit.

What a lock-up and unlock visit actually does

On Armour Security's lock-up and unlock service page, a morning open is described as an SIA-licensed officer attending at the agreed time to open the building, unset the alarm and make the site ready for the day. An evening close is described as checking the premises are clear, following your agreed lock-up procedure, setting the alarm and securing the doors before leaving.

That is the core job. The service is aimed at commercial premises such as shops, offices, gyms, schools, warehouses and licensed venues, and it is framed as removing the need for staff to open or close alone, especially early or late.

The three options to choose between

Armour presents lock-up and unlock work in three practical shapes. You can use one, or mix them.

Scheduled opens and closes

Scheduled cover is regular daily or weekly attendance at agreed times. The page describes that pattern as including alarm unset and set, a walk-around check and doors secured, with attendance reports as part of the package.

Choose scheduled cover when:

• The building needs the same open and close every trading day
• Staff rotas change often and you want the open/close held to one standard
• You want every attendance logged, not left as an informal staff chore

Ad hoc and holiday cover

Ad hoc cover is booked on demand. Armour's option card lists pay-as-you-go visits, holiday and sickness cover, and forgotten-key call-outs. The wider page text adds changing staff availability and last-minute requests.

Choose ad hoc cover when:

• You mostly manage opens and closes in-house but need backup for holidays or sickness
• Keys are occasionally left off-site and someone still has to get in
• You want a named security partner for exceptions without a full daily schedule

Out-of-hours access

Out-of-hours access is officer attendance for contractors, cleaners, deliveries and emergency call-outs when your own team should not hand out keys or alarm codes. The page describes opening up, supervising as required by your procedure, then securing the premises again afterwards.

Choose out-of-hours access when:

• Cleaners or contractors need entry before staff arrive
• Deliveries or engineers arrive outside trading hours
• You want third-party access without giving them permanent keys or codes

How reporting fits the buying decision

Armour's lock-up and unlock page states that attendance can be recorded with reports, arrival and departure times, photos where required, and any issues noted on site. It also states that the record is available through the client portal from any device.

If you are comparing providers, ask what gets logged on every open and close, who can see it, and how quickly the report appears after the visit. A documented attendance trail is useful for internal audit and for answering simple questions about who attended and when.

How this sits beside keyholding and mobile patrols

Lock-up and unlock is about planned opens and closes (and related out-of-hours access). Keyholding and alarm response is about holding keys securely and attending when an already-installed alarm activates. Many sites need both: one service for the daily open/close routine, the other for activations and make-safe access when nobody is on site.

Mobile security patrol work is a different pattern again: scheduled or randomised visits with lock-up checks and a written report, rather than a dedicated open or close at fixed trading times. If your main gap is a reliable morning open and evening close, start with lock-up and unlock. If your main gap is alarm attendance, start with keyholding.

Armour's lock-up page also notes that local keyholding and alarm response can sit with the same teams, so an issue found at the time of attendance can be handled by people who already hold your site procedures.

What to put in the brief before you buy

Before you ask for a quote, write down:

1. Exact open and close times (or the windows that matter)
2. Alarm unset/set steps and any zones that must stay set
3. Which doors, shutters and plant rooms are in scope
4. Who may receive out-of-hours access, and whether an officer must stay on site
5. What should appear on the attendance report
6. Holiday and sickness cover rules for the next quarter

That brief stops the conversation drifting into a generic security pitch. It also makes scheduled, ad hoc and out-of-hours options easy to price and roster against a real operating pattern.

If you manage a commercial site and want the open and close taken off staff, tell Armour Security the premises type, usual open/close times, whether you need holiday or contractor cover, and current keyholding arrangements. Call 01702 416201 or use the contact route and ask specifically for lock-up and unlock options against that brief.