Topic section

Custody & Accountability

Issue, return, handover, temporary loans, employee equipment and the difference between ownership and current custody.

Check-in/check-out records document temporary custody without changing ownership.

A permanent issue is different from a short loan, but both need clear start and end events.

A custody transfer should identify the releasing custodian, receiving custodian, asset and effective date.

Employee equipment tracking links organizational assets to people without turning the asset register into an HR database.

Pool equipment needs a clear home location and temporary custody process because no single permanent user owns day-to-day responsibility.

Organizations may possess equipment they do not own, and may own equipment held by contractors or customers.

An overdue return is a control exception, not automatically proof that an asset is lost or stolen.