What is a key receipt?

The key to an apartment often changes hands in passing, right at the doorstep, without anything being written down. Many people are familiar with key receipts from work or tenancy agreements; in a private household, they are less common but just as sensible. If you have a domestic helper who regularly accesses your home on their own, this clarity is worth it. A key receipt takes two minutes to complete and saves you from having to ask who actually had which key, should the need ever arise. Here is what should be included and who is liable if a key is lost.

What is a key receipt?

A key receipt is a written confirmation that you have handed a key to your domestic helper. It records which key it is, when it was handed over, and confirms that your helper received it. Both parties sign the document.

The purpose is the same as with any receipt: proof. As long as everything goes well, the paper stays in a drawer. If a key goes missing or the employment ends, it serves as the basis for determining what needs to be returned.

Do I need a key receipt?

It is not required. It is a voluntary document, not a legal necessity. However, it is sensible for three reasons:

• At the handover: it documents that your helper received the key and when it happened.
• At the end of the job: you have a clear list of which keys must be returned, and you can confirm their receipt.
• In a dispute: if someone claims they never had a key, or if it is unclear how many are in circulation, the receipt settles the matter.

The more access someone has to your home, the more this small effort pays off.

What belongs in a key receipt?

Keep it short and complete. A key receipt should contain:

• your name and address and those of your domestic helper
• the type and number of keys (front door, apartment door, cellar, etc.)
• whether these are individual keys or keys to a master locking system
• the date of handover
• a field for the return with a date
• both signatures

It is best to also note what the key is for and that it may not be passed on or copied. Keep the receipt until the last key has been returned.

Who is liable if a key is lost?

Not automatically your domestic helper in full. For damage within an employment relationship, graded liability applies: with slight negligence your helper is usually not liable at all, with medium negligence the damage is mostly shared, and only with gross negligence or intent is she fully liable. This applies in a private household too.

It gets expensive above all with a locking system, because the whole system may then have to be replaced. One point matters here: if you did not point out this unusually high cost risk to your helper in advance, her liability can fall away entirely, as legal assessments of key loss show. A note on the receipt itself is therefore sensible. Often a private liability insurance also steps in, as many cover the loss of other people's keys.

What else belongs alongside the key receipt?

The key receipt is one of several small documents that keep an employment tidy:

• an employment contract that sets out pay, working hours, holiday, and notice
• a timesheet, if the working hours vary (more in the blog post on the timesheet)
• a reference letter at the end of the job

How the employment works overall, from registration to these documents, is shown in the blog post Hiring a domestic helper.

What does quitt take care of for me?

quitt is an app-based service that handles the employment of your domestic helper for you. This includes all the necessary paperwork: quitt provides you with a ready-made employment contract that you simply need to fill out and sign. Registration, payroll, and insurance are all managed by quitt.

You remain the employer at all times and decide who you hire and what you pay. quitt handles all the administrative work behind the scenes.

Found a household helper? Start the registration and quitt takes care of the paperwork and payroll. You can see what the service costs on our pricing page.