Third-Party Key Exchange Services - Calder Security Wakefield

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If you are an Airbnb host or rent out a holiday cottage, you must know that handing keys to your guests is a huge issue.

Ideally, you (the host), must be present to welcome your guests and personally hand over the keys to your property. But that isn’t always possible.

It might be that you have personal plans at the time of your guest’s arrival, you are out of the city or country, you are hosting more than one property at a time, or your guests are running late and are expected to arrive in the wee hours of the night.

To make it a pleasant experience for both you and your guest, you need to ensure that they receive their keys as soon as they arrive, without having to wait for you to show up and hand them over. Also, you need to figure out ways to not make the process a hassle for you as well.

Luckily, there are several simple ways you can use third-party key exchange services for your Airbnb listings and holiday cottages. The most popular ones include:

LEAVING THE KEYS WITH A FRIEND OR NEIGHBOUR

This is probably one of the simplest and most common key exchange solutions for your rented properties. You can leave your keys with someone you trust and who lives nearby, and therefore will be present to welcome your guests in your absence.

Just make sure to let them know your guest’s expected time of arrival and give your guests their phone number so that they can call them to let them know when they are nearby.

While leaving the keys with a friend or neighbour gives the key exchange a personal touch by introducing your guest to the neighbours, it also leaves a lot to chance.

If your guest is running late, your friend or neighbour might be out or sleeping, which can make the otherwise pleasant exchange into angry phone calls, grumpy greetings, and wasted time for both the parties involved.

To avoid any of these unforeseen issues, make sure you, the host, are always on top of things and in communication with both your guest and your key holder. Double-check your guest’s time of arrival and update your friend or neighbour about any changes in the plan.

If you feel as if the key exchange is going to be an inconvenience for your key holder because of your guest running exceptionally late, consider compensating them for the trouble in the form of a lunch or coffee, a nice bottle of wine, or even cash if the job is particularly demanding.

If you are relying on your friend or neighbour for the key exchange, you may consider charging your guests a small late fee to encourage them to be more punctual and communicate their arrival schedules with you beforehand.

LEAVING THE KEYS AT A NEARBY STORE OR COFFEE SHOP

A nearby store or coffee shop is another great option to use as a key exchange service and, unlike your friends and neighbours, they are available and open throughout the day, and some even during the night.

You may want to opt for stores and coffee shops that are neighbourly, with whom you have a good relationship, and of course who you can trust with your house keys.

While these aren’t usually paid services, you might want to think about compensating your key holder either in monetary terms or with a gesture of appreciation.

While doing something nice for your key holder, you may also buy a coffee or sandwich for your guest so that when they arrive at the store or coffee shop looking for the key, they are surprised by a warm welcome with delicious food, which is sure to get you great reviews!

While this method gives you much more structure and dependability, there is still the chance of your guest missing the store’s or coffee shop’s working hours (if it is not a 24/7 one) and having to wait even longer to get the keys, maybe even until the following day.

When picking a store or coffee shop as your key exchange service, make sure that:

It is within walking distance of your property so that your guests don’t have to travel too far to get the keys,
It is open for a long time, preferably till midnight,
You have a good relationship with the staff where they recognise your face since you’ll be leaving your house keys with them.

You can never be too careful when it comes to your house keys which is why even if you have a good relationship with the staff, make sure they don’t know exactly where you live, that you know who will be on duty when your guest arrives, and let the manager or owner know about the arrangement beforehand so that they can keep a check on the key holders too.

OPTING FOR A KEY EXCHANGE SERVICE

If your rental property is in an urban area, you may opt for professional key holding services such as which offer a secure and convenient location for your guests to collect the keys from.

Your guests can collect the keys any time of the day or night from their special 24-hour locations, without having to worry about late check-ins, something that is not easily available with stores and coffee shops that you coordinate with yourself.

You can easily sign up for the service by logging on to your preferred key exchange service’s website, choosing out of the many options for the best location, and depositing your keys securely.

You will receive a collection code which you will have to send to your guest to be used during pick up of the keys.

Third-party key exchange services offer much more in terms of control by allowing you to track the status of the keys online and receiving notifications when your guests collect or drop off the keys at the location.

USING A LOCKBOX OR KEY SAFE

Lockboxes and key safes are some of the cheapest and most convenient ways to hand over the keys to your guests without having to be physically present there or relying on a third party.

They are small storage devices place outside your home, either on or near the door or on a wall, to securely store keys for guests to access them using a security code sent to them by the host.

They are great solutions for services such as Airbnb, especially when the hosts can’t personally hand over the keys to their guests and they do not wish to give their keys to someone else for safekeeping such as neighbours, stores, and coffee shops.

Lockboxes and key safes come in a variety of designs that include:

Push-button models – similar to keypads that require the users to punch in the correct sequence of numbers to open the lock.
Dial models – similar to padlocks with a revolving dial that require the users to input the correct combination of numbers one by one.
Wheel models – consist of four scrolling wheels of numbers from 0 to 9, or sometimes letters, that require the users to select the right number on each wheel to enter the right combination.
Electronic and smart models – automatically open after the correct code is entered manually or by connecting through the guest’s smartphone.

Lockboxes and key safes are one of the most popular key exchange methods used by Airbnb hosts and holiday cottage owners, however, they have their share of drawbacks.

Leaving your house key unattended in a box outside your property may make it an easy target for burglars, which is something that you do not want.

There are a few security measures that you can take to ensure your lockbox remains safe, along with the keys inside it.

You must make sure that it is installed in a place that is the right balance between well-hidden and easy-to-find. It should be discreet to not attract attention from burglars and intruders while also being visible enough for the guests to locate it easily.

Putting it in hard to find and inaccessible places may frustrate your guests who may end up giving you a bad review. To avoid that from happening, install the lockbox in easily accessible locations and send your guests clear instructions on finding it.

Send your guests the access codes before they arrive and make sure they are easy to remember. To make it easy for both you and your guest, use the last 4 digits of your guest’s mobile number as their access code.

Make it a habit to always change the access codes after the guests leave and before new guests arrive to make certain that they aren’t compromised in any way. Also, you wouldn’t want your guests to be able to access your keys after they have checked out, which can be a security hazard for both you and your current guests.

Since the lockboxes and key safes are installed outside your home, they need to be made both weather-proof and vandal-resistant.

For places that experience extreme temperatures such as heavy rainfall or snow, it could damage the lockbox and cause it to either malfunction or become vulnerable to break-ins.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a cover against harsh weather since the extreme cold could jam it, whereas extreme heat and rain could cause it to rust.

The correct installation for lockboxes and key safes is necessary to ensure that they work without fail, therefore, it is best to contact a professional locksmith to carry out the job.

A professional locksmith has the skill, expertise, and experience to work with all kinds of locking mechanisms, along with adequate knowledge to recommend tailored solutions for your needs.

What’s best is that they are up-to-date with the latest technologies and are familiar with quality products. They provide a holistic package that includes not just installation but a variety of other services as well.

GOING DIGITAL

While there are many options for key exchange services as discussed above, they all come with their fair share of drawbacks.

There’s always the risk of your guests running extremely late and being unable to get the keys from your keyholders, or the keys being stolen, copied, or misplaced. What can be done then?

Keyless entry systems, also called electronic access control systems, control and manage access through a property using a variety of authentication methods such as access codes, access cards, key fobs, biometrics, and mobile apps.

They are made up of several components that include authenticators, readers, digital locks, control panels, and control servers, and are an excellent way to provide access to your guests whose identity is authenticated via identification credentials entered into the system.

After the identification credentials are presented to the reader, they are forwarded to the control panel where they are verified.

The request is processed by the system by comparing the credentials against predefined access permissions in the database.

If the credentials do not have access permission for the area, access is denied and the door remains locked.

If the credentials have access permission for the area, access is granted and the control panel sends a relay to the system to unlock the door. Both the access rejections and acceptances are logged into the system.

The different authentication methods offer different levels of security with biometrics and smart locks with two-factor authentication considered some of the most secure.

Access cards carry a unique pin that serves as the user’s identification credentials which are checked by the card reader mounted on the door or the wall next to it.

It can be inserted, swiped or scanned (using RFID technology) by the system to grant access through electrically locked doors.

Keypads use access codes or PINs entered by the user using a numerical keypad at the door to gain access. If the correct pin is entered, the door is unlocked. Otherwise, it denies access and remains locked.

Biometric authentication uses unique biological features such as fingerprints, retina, and facial features to identify and verify users, granting access according to the permissions given.

The system checks the unique identifiers with an earlier saved version of the data and if they match, the system verifies the user’s identity, permitting them to enter. If the data doesn’t match, the doors remain locked and access is denied.

In addition to providing increased convenience and accessibility to both the hosts and guests, digital access control systems are the ideal solutions for granting temporary access to users, something which is of great value to Airbnbs and holiday cottages that host guests for a limited number of days.

Keyless entry systems also allow you to track when the guest entered your home; something you could never do with traditional locks and keys.

The tracking feature increases accountability and can be particularly useful in the event of a break-in or burglary to see which credentials were used and who they belong to.

Access control systems also allow hosts to remotely control and monitor the system from anywhere in the world using a smart device such as a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop with an internet connection – a feature that can be particularly useful for hosts with multiple properties in various locations.

It gives them the comfort of adding and removing access permissions, monitoring and tracking the access activity, and locking or unlocking the entire house with just a single tap/click!

When installing keyless access control systems and smart locks on your rental property, make sure that you consult with a professional who can guide you on the best system for your requirements and configure the system to make it easy to use for both you and your guests.

Make sure to also have them regularly maintained to check the function and operation of the system and prevent any potential issues from manifesting.

CONTACT CALDER SECURITY

Calder Security provides a comprehensive range of security solutions for Airbnb hosts and holiday cottage owners that include professional installation, maintenance, monitoring, and repair services for state-of-the-art:

Access control systems,
Security safes,
Burglar alarms,
CCTV cameras,
Fire alarms, along with
Expert locksmith and key cutting services.

We have been working in the security industry for over 40 years and possess the required skill and expertise to not just provide you with the best security solutions but also guide you along the way.

We are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA), approved members of the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB), and also conform to all the relevant British and EU Standards.

Photo by Jarek Ceborski on Unsplash