Remote Access Locks: A Guide for Rental Owners

Choosing the Right Remote Access Lock for your Vacation Rental Unit

Entering the access code at a gate or condo door is how many vacations along the Emerald Coasts begin; how easily the lock switches from “locked” to “unlocked” shapes the guests’ first impression of the property. Since 2015, Resorts Locksmith Services has partnered with property managers and vacation rental owners to help them choose the right lock and make remote check-ins go smoothly and kick off a great guest experience. 

This process begins with our expert locksmiths helping you select the right lock for your vacation rental unit. A reliable lock protects the property whether it is occupied or vacant. What goes into choosing the right lock for a property? We will consider the property itself, the groups using the lock, the booking process, and the long term maintenance of the lock.

Choosing the Right Lock For the Property

So much goes into a successful stay before the booking takes place or guests arrive and the right lock selection opens the door to the stay (literally!).

Here are 6 questions to ask when selecting a keyless lock for your vacation rental.

1. How many doors need remote access locks? Do you want a keyless lock on every exterior door to a home or just one door that guests will use to gain access? 
2. What types of doors does it go on? Does it fit? What is the adjacent hardware like?  
3. Will a standard lock fit on the door?  Sometimes doors with glass panes leave very little space for a lock. Our locksmiths are able to measure and recommend locks that will fit your unique door.
4. Are they interior or exterior doors? Any lock that is going up on an exterior door on the Emerald Coast will have to endure extreme temperatures and humidity. We can recommend durable hardware designed for our area.
5. Is it a hurricane door with a three point lock? These doors offer unique challenges especially when you want a remote access lock. We love helping you find the right solution!
6. Do you need a code to open a single door to a guest house or does it also need to open gates or public spaces? We can design and build systems for you that selectively open doors around a property. For instance, codes that would open gates for parking, pool access, gym access, and laundry facilities but would not allow access to office spaces or janitorial closets. 

Who is Using the Lock?

The right lock functions for everyone who needs to gain access to the property. Consider making a list of the different parties who will need to regularly gain access to the property. 

• Do you need a lock that will allow you to audit when specific codes were used?
• If the property is in a condo building and shares housekeeping and/or maintenance with the condo how will their staff gain access to the property?
• Does your property manager or condo association require a specific lock? 
• What will open the lock? Every year new technology gives us more options to open and secure doors: algorithm generated codes, pre-selected codes, bluetooth, and/or RFID.

The Right Lock During all stages of a Booking

Let’s briefly explore lock features during the five stages of a guest stay: booking, check-in, the stay, check-out, and post-stay. 

• Booking: Does your lock integrate seamlessly with your booking software? It is awesome when booking software integrates with the locks and codes are automatically generated and sent.
• Check-in: Make sure guests have the right code for the right unit in the right building. Design the space so that if they arrive after dark guests can easily reach the door, identify it as the correct door, and have enough light to enter the code. Consider sending guests the image of a map clearly showing a path from guest parking to the door they should use to gain entry.
• The stay: Ideally, this is a time to just sit back and let the lock do the work of welcoming your guests back to the property each time they return during their stay. 
• Check-out: One of the beauties of good software is being able to see when guests check out and to allow your cleaning crew quick access to the property to get it ready for the next guests. This is also a good way to know and potentially document if guests are staying past check-out. If guests check out and forget an item and need to retrieve it you can offer them a different code and allow them access to retrieve it while remaining remote and it doesn’t require a special trip from one of your team members to help them gain access again.
• After a booking- there is peace of mind for owners and future guests that there are not copies of keys or simple codes that are not unique to each guest in the possession of previous guests.

Long Term Maintenance of Locks

You’ve invested in a great lock that secures your property, interfaces with your software, meets the needs of your owners, property management team, guests, and maintenance- now it’s time to make sure that your lock keeps performing. We offer a maintenance package for our Dormakaba Oracode and Saffire EVO VR Locks to ensure that you get the most out of your locks. For an annual fee we come out once a year to:

• Clean and Protect the Lock: we wipe down the lock’s exterior side with an anti-corrosion solution.
• Change the Batteries
• Check the Time: we make sure the clock in the lock is set to the right time.
• Inspect for corrosion and early signs of failure: a key part of running a successful operation is replacing locks before they fail, potentially ruining vacations and requiring emergency locksmith services. Our team let’s you know if your lock needs to be replaced soon and we work with you to schedule this when it won’t interrupt bookings.

Your Locksmith Partner

In conclusion, choosing the right lock for your property is an investment that goes beyond opening and closing the door:

• Your guests’ first impressions hinges upon the right lock
• The right lock allows your team to streamline their work when the lock integrates seamlessly with your booking software.
• The right lock facilitates offering expert service to your guests while remaining remote. 
• The right lock is an investment worth maintaining.
• The right lock protects the property.

Reach out to our team today to see how we can help you add security, convenience, and seamless integration to your vacation rental properties through choosing, installing, and maintaining the right lock for each door.