Airbnb Door Locks
Are you asking yourself “What should I do about door locks and key exchanges for my Airbnb”
This post will explore alternatives for door locks and how they help with key exchanges when your spare room is on Airbnb. We will also explain why we chose the option we did solve this problem.
If you are Airbnb hosting your spare room, you may want to install locks on bedroom doors. Most homes do not have them but your guests may feel more secure if you do.
Airbnb Host-guest Key Exchange
The simplest way to get keys into your guests’ hands is to meet them when they arrive and hand them the key. At the same time, you can welcome and explain anything they need to know about their stay with you.
If you do it this way, it means as a host, you have to be available to meet guests when they arrive. It involves coordinating their arrival time and being sure to be there when they arrive. If you are not there, your guests will have to wait, and they will not be happy.
Another problem with this way of doing things is that some guests will lose or forget to return the key. If this happens, future guests will expect you to have the lock rekeyed so past guests can’t return. At least, you will need spare keys and at worst, you will have to pay a locksmith when this happens.
This simple way of doing things doesn’t need any expensive locks. As mentioned, your guests won’t feel secure if there is no lock on the door to their private room. The locks you install don’t need to be expensive.
Airbnb Lockbox
If you can’t always be available to meet guests, you could put the keys in a lockbox for your guests. You can send the numeric code to each new guest along with instructions about what to do when they arrive. This frees you up from always having to be there to meet guests.
You can hang a lockbox from a doorknob, a railing or attach it to a wall outside your home. Real estate agents have long used lockboxes. Some Airbnb hosts use them too.
The lockbox doesn’t solve the problem of guests losing or forgetting to return the keys. They may forget to put the keys back in the lockbox when they leave. So you will need spare keys and may have to pay a locksmith when this happens.
If you do things this way, you don’t need expensive locks.
It can also help you out if you are renting your home and you’re not allowed to change the locks. You should get your landlord’s approval before hosting your spare room on Airbnb.
This way of doing things doesn’t need any special technology. Lockboxes are simple to use and allow you to change the access code. You can get them from your local building supply store and they aren’t expensive.
There is a slight risk that passersby will see the lockbox and think your home is empty. This can be a security risk.
You can put regular keys or proximity keyfobs in your lockbox. More on proximity locks in the next section.
Airbnb Proximity Key
When we first started hosting on Airbnb, I heard about proximity keys or keyfobs as a solution for lost keys.
The idea was rather than rekeying the lock you could disable the keyfob and enable another. Some hotels and warehouses use this type of system to control access.
When I looked at keyfob locks the ones I found were too expensive for our small Airbnb operation.
There are other kinds of proximity locks. Proximity locks are locks that unlock when something gets near it. This can be a keyfob that has to be very near the lock.
Keyfob systems usually use radio signals to detect when the keyfob is near. Other proximity locks use other technologies to detect when a device is near. Devices include special car keys, car remotes or even cell phones. The locks are set to look for a particular device.
Some modern locks look for a cell phone associated with a particular phone number.
Some systems only work if the device is very near the lock, others recognize a device when it is farther away. These can unlock the door as you approach with your cell phone in your pocket.
These are very convenient, but I worry about their security. What if there is someone lurking nearby and you want to stop them from following you in. As long as you (or your device) is near the lock, will it remain open? I wouldn’t feel safe with this.
For this reason, I don’t think that proximity locks are a particularly good idea for your Airbnb.
Key Exchange Airbnb
Another solution is to use a key exchange service.
When we started hosting on Airbnb, I remember checking into this option. We don’t use the service so I forgot the details. In writing this, I looked at it again to remind myself. KeyNest.com is one such service. I paraphrased their website description of how their service works.
In urban areas, some stores will provide this for service for nearby Airbnb hosts.
To use KeyNest’s service, you sign up and choose a payment plan. You get a drop off code which allows you to drop off your keys at the designated store. In the store, they attach a tracking fob to your keys and store them in a secure safe.
In your guest’s check-in instructions, include the pick-up location and a pick-up code.
When your guests arrive they can go to the pick-up location and give the pick-up code to the clerk. The clerk will give your guest the key. They can then go to your place.
KeyNest notifies you whenever someone picks up or drops off a key.
We have never used KeyNest so we can’t recommend them. I mention them here because they have a good description of how their service works. You may find similar services that serve your area.
Having a key exchange service means that you don’t have to be home when your guest arrives. Your guest can pick up the key and check-in without you.
Services charge a monthly fee.
They allow guests to “self check-in” but they don’t solve the problem of lost keys or guests who don’t return them. You will need spare keys and may have to pay a locksmith when this happens.
If you can find a suitable service, a key exchange service might work for you. We decided not to look for one because we chose another solution. More on that later….
Airbnb Smart Lock
Smart locks are at home automation a solution that allows you to activate a lock with a cell phone.
You download the lock’s app to your cell phone. Some apps have a button to push to open the lock. Others open the lock when the phone gets near the lock. We described these in the proximity lock section above.
Some allow you to activate them to a particular cell number.
This means that an Airbnb host can activate a lock for a guest’s cell phone number. The host can then invite the guest to download the appropriate app. When the guest arrives they can open the door using the app. Someone else with the same app couldn’t open the lock because they don’t have the right cell phone number.
Various companies make locks like this. For some, you replace the door lock. Others fit over the existing doorknob.
Some smart locks can be coded remotely.
With smart locks, there is no key for the guest to lose or forget to return.
Smart locks are more expensive to buy but they may pay for themselves by saving on rekeying.
The reason we chose not to use smart locks is that we don’t want to exclude potential guests who are not tech-savvy. Some of our guests don’t have smartphones. Others wouldn’t be comfortable downloading an app just to stay in our spare room for a night.
Airbnb Keypad Lock
Numeric keypad locks allow guests to enter an access code on the keypad to enter your place or to their room.
With numeric keypads, you never have to worry about a guest losing a key. There is no key to lose.
They are more expensive than traditional locks, but you save money on rekeying.
We have never run across a guest who couldn’t use one because they weren’t tech-savvy.
We set a personal access code for each guest. When they leave we remove their access code. This prevents previous guests from returning once the new guest arrives. We set the security code to the last four digits of the phone number on the guest’s Airbnb profile.
For some keypad locks, you need to access the keypad to set or remove access codes. We bought this type because they are less expensive and we are hosting from our own home so I am there to set the codes.
Some keypad locks allow you to set and remove codes remotely via a home automation system or a cell phone app. As an Airbnb host, this allows you to change the access codes from wherever you are.
We used a lock that lets us set codes remotely when we hosted a rental property in a different city. There have been times when I (Rick) wished we had spent a bit more to be able to do that here.
A keypad lock removes the need for an in person meeting when a guest checks in.
We recommend using keypad locks when you host your spare room on Airbnb. They:
- Remove the need for key exchanges.
- Let guests self check-in.
- Save money for rekeying locks.
- Save money for key exchange services.
- Work for guests and hosts who are not tech-savvy.
We have a keypad lock on our front door and that will hold up to nine access codes. This is enough to allow personal codes for my wife and myself as well as code for each guestroom.
The keypad locks on our guest room doors each hold up to six codes. Again, this allows personal codes for my wife and myself and one for our current guest.
Questions
Our goal is to help you succeed at Airbnbing your spare room. We would love hear from you with other question you have for us to answer. Please contact us or comment below with your questions.