Seasonal rental has become automatic for many travelers. For vacations or work stays, rentals based on the Airbnb model have attracted a growing number of travelers over the years. However, it presents challenges for landlords and property managers, particularly around key management and ensuring tenant security. Smart locks have proven to be an innovative solution to these problems, making property management easier while providing many benefits to travelers. In this article, our concierge agency in La Grande-Motte invites you to explore the advantages and uses of connected locks in the context of Airbnb seasonal rentals.
What is a connected lock?
A smart lock is an electronic lock that can be controlled remotely using a mobile app or website. It can be locked or unlocked without a physical key, making it ideal for vacation rentals. Smart locks also offer features such as the ability to generate temporary access codes for travelers. This technology, which is still in full development, is found in very varied price ranges and can offer functionalities and integrations with very varied third-party systems depending on the models and brands of the manufacturers.
The advantages of connected locks for seasonal rentals:
Independent arrival: Smart locks allow travelers to arrive at their vacation rental without having to wait for the owner or a manager. They can simply receive a one-time access code or use an app to enter. Here too, the chosen model will directly impact the user in their handling of this technology.
Hourly flexibility: Travelers can arrive at any time convenient to them, which is especially useful for late arrivals or early departures. The key here is that the landlord or rental management agency actively communicates with their tenant to give them access to the lock before their arrival and revoke that access after the tenant leaves.
Security: Smart locks provide a high level of security because temporary access codes can be generated for each guest and then revoked after they leave. You can also monitor the lock status (open/closed) in real time. Note that while many models allow traditional key opening, it is essential here to give a duplicate key to the tenant. Thus, no more loss of keys and the impossibility for a malicious person to make a new duplicate.
Rcost reduction : Homeowners can reduce costs related to physical key management, locksmiths in case of accidental locking, and key duplication. Of course, this financial burden must be studied and it is advisable to equip yourself with a connected lock recognized for its reliability. However, overall, the conversion to a connected lock is more often done for convenience than for financial interest.
Remote management: Owners can control access remotely and receive notifications of unauthorized use. This allows for efficient management of the property, even remotely. It is also a popular way to open up to the tenant if they encounter a connectivity problem when entering or leaving the accommodation.
These assets are indisputable and, in our agency of concierge service in La Grande-Motte, we have been able on several occasions to see the benefit that a connected lock can represent, whether for tenants or ourselves as managers. However, our local agency in Grande-Motte ensures reasonable use of electronic locks. When these have been installed by the owners, we can occasionally use them, particularly during very late arrivals preventing us from carrying out the check-in and handing over the keys ourselves, one of the added values of the YourHostHelper agencies.
Using connected locks in Airbnb rentals:
Most connected locks include features designed specifically for managing seasonal rentals. Among the main ones: the generation of temporary access codes and the opening of access to people in the application for a given period. One or the other of these formulas allows you to give access to the accommodation to your tenants for the sole duration of their stay without requiring a physical key and therefore fewer problems linked to loss or breakage of keys. Also, some brands offer integration with rental management software to allow the automatic sending of arrival instructions, the release of access to the tenant, the generation of temporary code, etc. Allowing, once again, to unload the owner or caretaker of these actions on a daily basis.
While the advantages of the connected lock are numerous, it is naturally appropriate to highlight its flaws. The first: the systematic use of digital tools (smartphone application or website. If these channels are increasingly acquired in people's daily lives, some could perceive this as a real barrier. Elderly people less trained in digital technology, smartphones or obsolete computers that do not allow connection to this technology, and sometimes even out of simple conviction… It is then important for the owner and his manager to adapt.
In any case, offering an alternative, the good old physical key, must remain possible. Also, make sure your guests understand how to use the smart lock by providing clear instructions. Take the time to produce a tailor-made document for your tenants, speak with them by telephone and send them the manufacturer's documentation. You will thus place them in a real situation of autonomy and minimize disappointments once they arrive at your door for the first time.
