custodians

Custodian refers to a person or institution charged with the care, custody, and protection of someone else’s property, assets, or information. The role is defined by responsibility for safekeeping, maintenance, and orderly management, and it may be formalized by contract, law, or policy. In everyday use, custodians are individuals who maintain facilities, but the term also applies to financial, data, and records stewards in professional contexts.

In facilities and property management, custodians (often called janitors or building custodians) perform cleaning, basic repairs, groundskeeping, security checks, and inventory of supplies. They may coordinate with facilities managers to ensure safety standards, compliance with regulations, and timely response to maintenance requests. The emphasis is operational and immediate safeguarding of a building, its occupants, and its contents.

In finance and asset management, a custodian bank or custodian institution holds clients’ securities and cash to protect them from loss or misuse. Responsibilities include record-keeping, settlement processing, corporate actions, and regulatory reporting; assets are typically segregated from the custodian’s own property. Custodians may provide secured lending, collateral management, and access controls, all under a fiduciary or contractual duty to the client.

In information governance, data custodians manage access, storage, backup, and protection of data on behalf of data owners. They implement policies for privacy, security, retention, and compliance with legal requirements.

Custodianship spans other domains such as libraries, archives, and cultural institutions, where custodians protect and preserve collections and records for public access and long-term stewardship. The specific duties and authority of custodians vary by sector, contract, and jurisdiction.