Plan the routine around your site
Design the kennel cleaning checklist around area references and the establishment’s approved cleaning procedure. A premises record should identify the task, person, time and actual outcome. Separate cleaning completion from any authorised verification and from decisions about animal occupancy. Staff must follow the establishment’s animal-care, welfare and licensing processes; a general checklist should not invent a cleaning chemical, contact time or animal-handling method. Explain an access restriction and identify the lead who receives it. Keep individual animal observations and owner information in their designated records rather than placing them in a shared facilities report.
Agree the assigned role, due window, expected record and escalation route with the people who do and review the work. Include an honest outcome for work that could not be completed, with a reason and a next action.
What to include in the checklist
These are planning examples. Adapt the questions and timing to your approved procedures and the person’s responsibilities.
| Routine | Work to define | Useful record |
|---|---|---|
| Area reference | Identify the assigned premises area accurately. | Area code and task window. |
| Previous actions | Read outstanding operational restrictions. | Issue reference and owner. |
| Approved cleaning | Carry out the assigned documented task. | Actual outcome, person and time. |
| Task verification | Record authorised review where the procedure requires it. | Reviewer and verification reference. |
| Premises findings | Escalate accessible fixture or equipment observations. | Location and response. |
| Changeover handover | Identify unfinished work without implying occupancy approval. | Owner and next review. |
A premises tick is not an animal-occupancy approval
Record the actual cleaning task and any required review. The responsible person follows the approved animal-care and licensing processes before making decisions about use of an animal area.
Give the next shift enough context
A staff-room storage fitting is visibly loose during an assigned premises round. The reporter records its location and informs the site lead without entering an animal area to collect evidence. The authorised team arranges the repair, and the lead records its review. The next premises shift sees the finding and the later outcome together.
Identify the area or asset, the observation, the actual result, the immediate action and who was informed. Attach useful evidence where safe and permitted. A photograph supports a finding without establishing its cause.
- Keep the original observation and time.
- Assign a specific next action and agree when it will be reviewed.
- Record the later outcome and authorised verification beside the finding.
Read the guide to writing a useful fault report for a closer look at the evidence record.
Review the work still needing attention
Look for cleaning exceptions repeatedly carried between changeovers. Review whether area codes make findings easy to locate. Keep the cleaning task, later verification and any animal-occupancy decision distinguishable in the reporting process.
Review completion and outstanding actions together. A missing routine and a completed routine with a failure need different follow-up. The weekly manager review guide explains how to move from the summary to the source record.
For the wider workflow, explore cleaning & readiness examples and planning and shift handover examples and planning.
Try the routine in CheckControl
Start with an existing routine, add its questions and instructions, and agree the assignment and due window. Staff can record answers and findings on their phones; managers can review the record and follow-up. Use the relevant PDF or Excel export for your authorised review. The public demo uses fictional people, findings and evidence.
Common questions
Can kennels and catteries record cleaning and later review separately?
Yes. Keep the task submission and its authorised verification as distinct records or steps, with area references. Neither should silently substitute for an animal-care or occupancy decision.
What is the scope of this guide?
CheckControl supports operational records. It does not replace animal-care records, veterinary decisions, establishment licensing, welfare requirements or the approved cleaning and disinfection procedure. Requirements vary by activity and jurisdiction.
Sources and scope
CheckControl wrote these record-design and handover examples. Use your organisation’s approved specialist procedures and the relevant authoritative guidance: GOV.UK: animal activities licensing guidance. Source checked 5 October 2026.
CheckControl supports operational records. It does not replace animal-care records, veterinary decisions, establishment licensing, welfare requirements or the approved cleaning and disinfection procedure. Requirements vary by activity and jurisdiction.