The record
A Document Somebody Else Can Rely On
The point of a chain of custody is not that we know what happened. It is that a person who was not there — an adjuster, a judge, a beneficiary — can establish it without taking anyone's word for it.
Tell us what, from where, and roughly when. No obligation, and no inventory list needed to start the conversation.
Contents
What is recorded
- Each item described and photographed, front and back, before anything is wrapped.
- Serial and reference numbers where they exist — watches, bars, equipment, media.
- Condition noted for anything that can be damaged, so later damage is datable.
- Container and seal numbers, written onto your copy at the moment of sealing.
- Names of everyone present, and the capacity in which they were there.
- A timestamp at every handoff — collection, vehicle, vault entry, and any later access.
Signatures
Who signs, and when
- At collection — you, and both attendants. You keep a copy before we leave the room.
- At sealing — the seal number is read aloud, written on both copies, and initialled.
- At vault entry — seals checked against your copy and countersigned by vault staff.
- At any later access — the named individual signs, and the event is timestamped and added to the file.
The point
Why we do not just take your word for it
Because it protects you. In an estate, in a divorce, in a business dissolution, or in an insurance claim, the person with the property is the person who gets asked awkward questions. An itemised document signed by two independent witnesses on a specific date makes those questions answerable. Without it, everyone involved is relying on memory and goodwill, and one of those two usually runs out.
Common questions
- Who can see the record?
- You, and anyone you name in writing — your counsel, your executor, your insurer, your accountant. Nobody else.
- How long is it kept?
- For as long as the property is with us, and afterwards as our retention policy requires. Ask for the current period if it matters to your file.
- Can it be produced for a court?
- Yes. We honour valid subpoenas and court orders, and the record is designed to be readable by someone who was not there.
- What if the inventory turns out to be wrong?
- Tell us and we correct it as an amendment, dated and signed. We do not quietly edit a document that has already been signed by both parties.
- Do you open sealed containers?
- Not unless you ask us to, and then in your presence. A seal that has been opened and replaced is a seal that proves nothing.
Tell us what needs to move.
What, from where, and roughly when. You do not need an inventory to start the conversation, and if the job belongs with an armored carrier we will say so on the call.