Spare Building Fob Tips: Label and Track Them (Vancouver)

A spare building fob is only useful if you know where it is and who has it. The safest approach is simple: label each fob so you can tell them apart without anyone else learning where it opens, keep a short written list of every fob you hold, and tell your building right away if one goes missing. Here’s how to do that without overthinking it.

Why spare fobs get lost in the first place

Most lost spares aren’t dropped on the street. They end up in a kitchen drawer after a guest leaves, in a jacket pocket from last winter, or with a dog walker, cleaner or family member who moved on months ago. In a busy Downtown Vancouver condo with a lobby door, a parkade gate, an amenity room and a mail room, one household can easily end up with three or four fobs, and nobody is quite sure which is which.

The fix isn’t complicated. It’s a bit of labelling, a bit of record keeping, and a habit of checking in now and then.

How to label a fob without making it a security risk

The golden rule: a fob found on the sidewalk should tell the finder nothing about where it works. A tag reading “Unit 1203, 1234 Example St” is effectively a key with directions attached.

Instead, try one of these:

• Colour coding. Coloured fob covers, key-ring tags or rings make it easy to tell fobs apart. For example: blue for yours, green for your partner’s, orange for the spare that lives at home.
• A private code. Write a short code on the tag, like “S1” or “G2”, that only means something when matched with your own list.
• First names only, for people you trust. If a fob is going to a family member, a first name on the tag is fine as long as there’s no address with it.
• Keep the building’s markings. Many fobs have a printed serial or ID number. Don’t scratch it off. Your building manager may use it to look up or deactivate that exact fob.

If you want a “return if found” option, a phone number on its own is a judgment call. It doesn’t reveal your address, but think about whether you’d rather simply report the fob lost and get it deactivated.

Keep a simple fob list

This takes five minutes and saves a lot of stress later. A note on your phone or a page in a notebook works. For each fob, write down:

1. Your label or code (colour or “S1”)
2. The serial or ID number printed on it, if there is one
3. What it opens (lobby, parkade, gym, storage locker)
4. Who has it right now
5. When they got it, and when they’re expected to give it back

If your building issued the fobs, it may already keep its own record of which fobs belong to your unit. It’s worth asking the building manager or property management company what they have on file, so your list and theirs match.

Lending spares to guests, cleaners and dog walkers

Handing a spare to someone else is where tracking matters most. A few habits help:

• Check the rules first. Some stratas and rental buildings limit how many fobs a unit can have, require spares to be registered, or have rules about non-residents holding fobs. Read your bylaws or ask management before handing one out.
• Give access only to what’s needed. If your building can program fobs for specific doors, a dog walker may only need the lobby, not the parkade or amenity rooms. That’s up to your building, so ask.
• Set a return date. Write it in your list. When a house-sitting stint or a lease ends, ask for the fob back the same week rather than “whenever”.
• Don’t lend a fob you’re not entitled to share. If your lease or strata rules say fobs are for residents only, follow that.

Where to keep the spare at home

Pick one spot and always use it: a small hook inside a closet, a labelled box in a drawer, or a secure key cabinet. Avoid obvious places like under a doormat, in a planter by the door or in a mailbox. Anyone who finds it there knows exactly which building it belongs to.

If you keep a spare in your car for the parkade, remember that a fob left in a car can go missing if the car is broken into. Some people prefer to keep the parkade fob on their main key ring instead.

A quick monthly or seasonal check

Once in a while, maybe when you change your smoke alarm batteries or switch over your closet for Vancouver’s rainy season, take a minute to:

• Check that every fob on your list is where your list says it is.
• Test that spares still open the doors they should. Buildings sometimes upgrade systems, and an old spare may quietly stop working.
• Ask for back any fobs from people who no longer need them.
• Update the list.

If a spare has stopped working, ask your building whether its access system changed. Our post on fobs, key cards and phone keys explains why systems differ.

What to do if a spare goes missing

Treat a missing spare the same as a lost main fob: report it to your building manager or strata so it can be deactivated, especially if it might have been labelled in a way that identifies your building. Your building will tell you how to get a replacement. Our guide to a lost building fob in Vancouver walks through the steps.

Before getting any spare made, check your building’s or strata’s rules. Some buildings only allow fobs issued by management, and copying a fob you aren’t authorized to use is not okay.

Need a spare or a fob cover? Visit MyChoice on Granville Street

MyChoice Mobile Repair is a kiosk in Downtown Vancouver on Granville Street, open every day from 9 AM to midnight. We offer fob copy for compatible building access fobs. Not every fob can be copied, so bring your fob and we’ll check if it can be copied. You can also ask about cases, cables and other phone accessories while you’re there.

Questions first? Call (236) 785-8300 or ask for a quote.