One of the most common concerns heard by Airbnb property management companies is about the security of the property. Even in a relatively safe city like Sydney, hosts express unease about allowing guests unrestricted access. This uneasiness goes doubly when the property is a shared property that might be a part of the host’s family home. The media is full of stories about Airbnb rentals going wrong, and the host being on the hook for damages.
One primary risk for hosts is access to the property. Airbnb rental pretty keys go through dozens of hands in a year, including guests, your rental property cleaning service and holiday home maintenance providers, and others. In Sydney, Airbnb rentals host on average for 50 nights per year but can go as high as 180. Even assuming most stays would be for a couple of nights on average, that is a lot of potential guests accessing a property!
Therefore, one easy way for a host to protect themselves is by installing a safe lock.
Smart Locks?
Smart locks are just a version of a keyless lock for your door. They range from fob style locks, for which guests must be provided with a fob or use a smart fob on their phone, through to locks accessed with codes which can be pre-programmed or set automatically via apps. The options are endless, although most options start around $180. With the simpler versions, you can install it yourself, but you can also ask your Airbnb management service to arrange it for you.
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Benefits of a Smart Lock
A smart lock for your short-term rental offers you a great deal of peace of mind. Guests can check out without needing to leave your key behind somewhere potentially insecure or losing it while they are staying with you and your Airbnb management services can come and go without you needing to be present, all while you have control over who has access and who doesn’t. With a smart lock, you or your holiday home agency can change the access code as often as you want, giving you maximum security. All of this is an improvement on traditional lockboxes, which lose protection over time as more and more people learn the codes. Or even worse, the days when you or your Airbnb management agency had to go to the property every single time someone wanted to access it!
Smart locks also give guests comfort in the knowledge that no one else has access to the property during their stay either.
Options
There are many options available for smart locks. These options include options that connect to your phone, so you can do everything remotely, as well as features to link into your smart house settings so you can control air conditioning or lights if guests leave them on, or turn them on to welcome new guests! You can also get smart lock apps to help you set a code for each guest which then automatically expires when they leave.
So, if you are thinking about what you can do to make your property more appealing for guests, think about a smart lock.
If you would like to learn more about Airbnb property management, or about Airbnb property management companies like HomeHost, click here to schedule a free phone call with us. We’ll chat about how much your property may be worth, how other similar properties in your area have been performing, and why HomeHost has so many great reviews on Google and Facebook.
