Rentals, Guests and Keys

In this blog I will go over my keys and how I keep my guests happy and myself sane!

Keys are problems waiting to happen. People lose them, forget them, damage them and take them home. The less you have your guests deal with keys, the better.
Since my rentals are pretty well automated, I do not need to meet my guests to give them the keys. This frees up my time and lets the guests arrive whenever they want. I send them my door code via email prior to them arriving and after arriving, they then use that code to unlock the door and enter the home. It works really well and reduces the anxiety of the guest owner meeting.
Most people after entering the home just use the code and do not use the keys at all.
But if you still give your guests keys, here are some tips.

• Keep your key sets as simple and with few keys as possible.

• You should always provide 2 sets of keys to your guests for a couple of reasons.
  1.  I always provide two sets of keys for my guests in case they have two separate party's and need to split up and will be back at different times.
  2.  In case one set is lost during a stay, your guests will usually not call you if they have another set of keys. One less phone call is always a pleasure, especially when you are on vacation yourself.

• Always have an alternate way back into your rental in case your guests lose their keys.
  I always use an electric Z-Wave deadbolt lock by Kwikset and Z-Wave sensor on all of my rentals exterior doors. I use Kwikset on my rental ans recommend to anyone with a rental  the Kwikset brand because they have a feature called "Smart Key" This enables me to very easily re key my lock.
  
  These  electric locks and sensors do five things for me. 
  1. They allow me to let someone in with my smartphone anytime, anywhere if they lose the keys or forget the code. This is never fails to impress your guests when they are on the phone with you and you say "Abracadabra" and the lock magically opens in front of them.
  2. They allow me to change any of the access codes, from the cleaning people to the guests anytime, anywhere with a few clicks in my apps.
  3. They allow me to see if the doors are open or shut or locked anytime, anywhere.
  4. They also allow me to lock the doors if they are unlocked anytime, anywhere.
  5. If I ever do need to change the keys for whatever reason, like you think the renters might have made a duplicate or you feel the need to make all of your Kwikset locks use the same key. Changing the key in your Kwikset locks is easy and something you can do in less than a minute and will cost you nothing, providing you have an extra set of Kwikset keys laying around.
  Always keep your extra Kwikset keys. You can re use them later. 

• I put one set of keys in the home on the kitchen table or on a defined hook somewhere, where they are out in the open. This will remind me if they end up missing after the guests leaves and it will remind the guests to place them back where they found them when they are preparing to leave. 
  I put the other set in a lock box on an exterior door that the guests usually go to, when entering the home for the first time. This lock box acts as a backup to the electric lock if it becomes non functional due to battery loss or malfunction.
  The only bad part of using a lock box is that you do have to remember to check your lock box and make sure the keys are in it every time a guest leaves. In my opinion, the insurance of having the lock box as a back up to your electric lock, is well worth that extra duty.

• Always have 2 extra sets of keys handy in case both of your sets end up lost.
  When one or more sets of keys do not show up after a guest leaves, it is always easier to grab the extra set(s) instead of going to the key maker to get a set made. Especially on a Sunday afternoon when the key maker is closed and you have new guests checking in an hour from now.
  Keys are cheap. but getting a locksmith to come, or driving somewhere far away to get new ones made can be expensive. Remember, time is money. $$$ 

• Make sure you put a big bright tag on your key ring. The bigger the better. Well not too big. You want the keys to fit into your lock box and other peoples pockets. But the bigger and brighter the better as it is the more likely it will not get lost. Here are 50 key ring tags for less than 5 bucks.
  You also want to make sure you label your new big bright tags with your first name or last name only or maybe the house name and a phone number or email address. Do NOT put your homes address or unit number on them. If they are lost someone will have access to your home and your address until you change your keys.
  Don't worry if they do get lost, you can change your keys easily and inexpensively with your new Kwikset locks. Isn't it nice to have a backup?

• And lastly, put some discount shopping and grocery store cards on your key rings for the stores in and around the area of your rental. The smaller ones preferably.
  Your guests may be from out of town or out of the country and not have these cards or know about these cards or the fact that they can save them a lot of money.
  This will also make your key ring more noticeable and thus harder to lose. 
  People love to save money and having a Vons card on your key ring when they need to check out, will save them some big bucks and it also shows your guests that you really care. This is important when they are writing your review. 
  

I hope these tips will save you some time, money and your sanity. Dealing with renters can be daunting at times so being ready is the best way to keep your sanity.

If you would like some more tips on controlling and monitoring your rental, second home or your main home, please check out out our site at 007 Systems or our Landlords Lounge. We have lots of information including, how to's and product information that will teach you how to install and trick out your space. 

Happy renting
J Miller / 007 Systems