The 4 best smart locks for rental properties
With a rental property, you often had to change the locks or hand out new keys. Today, smart locks are a must for rental property owners. These locks make it convenient to operate the door locks. In addition to providing the necessary security, smart locks for rental properties also offer the benefit of guest PINs, temporary access codes and an easy installation process. More importantly, you can manage the handover of keys and PINs through the app.
Also, you get to keep the original key with you (if applicable) and monitor your history through the companion app. More importantly, installing smart locks for rentals is not challenging. As long as you have a working Wi-Fi network nearby, things should run smoothly.
So if you’re looking to upgrade the good old lock in your rental cabin or lake cabin, here are the best smart locks for rental properties. Without further ado, let’s get started.
1. Hornbill 7-in-1 keyless entry
Hornbill Keyless Entry is an affordable smart door lock with the right functions. First, you get a keyboard that lights up every time you touch it. The keyboard is sensitive and users don’t have to fumble around it. At the same time, it has all important functions such as timed keys, one-time PINs and cyclic keys.
It is the timed keys that help you with your rental property. Guests can use them to open the lock. With timed keys, no one can take advantage of your property.
Features such as cyclic PIN codes will ensure that caretakers (gardener, cleaner, helper) can access your house. Apart from that, there are useful features like One Time Codes and Permanent Codes that you can use depending on the scenario. It supports locking/unlocking via physical keys and IC cards.
Hornbill smart lock is compatible with the TTLock smartphone app. However, it does not directly support Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. So you won’t be able to ask these assistants to open the door.
It runs on batteries, which usually last approx. 5-6 months. If you see a lot of guests moving in and out frequently, your battery will die faster. The installation is not challenging, but you need to go through the user manual.
The low price tag means Hornbill has cut some corners, in this case it’s overall performance. While PINs and codes work flawlessly, fingerprint recognition takes some time and is not 100% accurate.
2. ULTRALOQ U-Bolt Pro + Bridge
The recently released ULTRALOQ U-Bolt Pro is one of the best smart locks for rental properties, primarily for two reasons. Firstly, the app is a joy to use, all thanks to the intuitive and feature-rich app interface. Second, the fingerprint sensor works like a charm to unlock the door. This smart lock supports a variety of features, including temporary PIN codes, fingerprint locks, app-based control and smart assistants. Phew.
Sure, guests will use the fingerprint feature sometimes. However, you can use it to open the door when you are at home. As mentioned earlier, the app is intuitive and gives you many features to explore. Interestingly, you can see the status of the door lock (Open/Closed and Locked/Unlocked). In addition, you can see the history of when the door is unlocked. The app shows a neat timeline of all the activities. And in the unfortunate event you can use this timeline as evidence.
Four AA batteries power this smart lock. The good news is that it doesn’t need a home base or docking module. It connects directly to Wi-Fi at home. So no worries about someone accidentally turning off the connection module.
You can create PIN codes for up to 50 users. And like the one above, you can also set the schedule of these or the number of times they can be used. The latter comes into play for temporary workers.
In short, the ULTRALOQ U-Bolt Pro is a versatile lock and is an excellent choice for rental. It’s cheaper than some of its counterparts on this list. The buttons are easy to press and the app gives you a lot of control. Please note that it only works over the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band.
3. Google Nest x Yale Smart Lock
Yale is one of the popular manufacturers of door locks, and the Google Nest Yale smart lock is one of the latest smart locks from the house. The main selling point of this smart lock is its simplicity. It has some smart features like notifying you when someone leaves the door open. And yes, you can also see the activity log on the app.
It is the activity log that comes into play if you want to see who has gained access to your property over time. This smart lock from Nest Yale has several smart features such as visitor passwords, remote locking and time-specific passwords, among others. The app notifies you when a guest code is used. If we’re talking numbers, Yale lets you create up to 20 passwords.
The lock is easy to use. As soon as you or your guests touch the Yale logo, the keyboard will light up and let you enter your password. As long as the lock is connected to your home Wi-Fi, you should be able to easily create short-term guest passwords. And like most smart door locks, you can also set an automatic door time limit and be notified when someone enters the wrong password too many times.
But at the end of the day, the Yale Smart Lock is not a standalone device and needs a Connect module or the Nest Guard module to connect to your home Wi-Fi. And since this is a Google Home device, it works exclusively with Google Assistant and isn’t compatible with Alexa, HomeKit, IFTTT, or SmartThings.
Another feature that renters will like is that they can disable the external keypad on the lock for privacy. After activating it, you can operate the lock only from the inside.
The Nest smart lock may not have a ton of features. However, it does a brilliant job of locking/unlocking doors and keeping track of unlocks, especially when keeping track of your rental properties. The the folks at PC Mag tested this lock to share that locking the door never failed. Make sure that no one disconnects the power cord from the Connect module.
Alternatively, you can also try the popular August Smart Lock Pro. The lack of a keyboard means you’ll have to ask your guest to download the app to unlock it. But if it’s not much of a concern, you can consider it.
4. Schlage Encode Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt
Schlage smart door locks are known for their security and high-quality materials, and this Encode smart lock for rental properties is no different. Its outer carapace is slightly larger than those above. But on the upside, guests can use this lock without any problems. It supports 100 guest user codes, and wins by a large margin over the competition.
This Schlage lock is versatile and works well with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Ring and even Key from Amazon. In addition, it is an independent device and does not depend on a connection module to connect to the Internet.
You can create temporary or permanent guest codes, depending on the scenario you have in your rental property. First, if you have a helper who cleans the house regularly, you can set up permanent guest codes. You can create time-sensitive guest codes, as you see fit. Also, if you have some close friends and family staying overnight, you can create virtual keys through the Schlage app.
It is a well-liked smart lock and has more than 11,000 user ratings. It’s one of the most popular locks among Airbnb hosts for its user-friendly nature and the fact that you can easily create guest codes. In addition, the absence of a connection module means that you do not have to worry about someone turning off the power supply to it.
Lock the door, but smartly
These were some of the smart locks for rental properties. All of these locks have one thing in common – they allow you and your guest to lock and unlock the door without worrying about physical keys. The apps are simple and once you know your way around them, you can use them like a pro.
