Quick answer: fit a keypad lock that takes multiple codes, give each guest their own code for the dates of their stay, and delete it at checkout. Add WiFi and a gateway if you’re not nearby, so you can manage codes from your phone. No key handovers, no lockbox on the wall, no changing locks when a key goes missing.
Keys are the worst part of running a short-stay. Guests arrive at midnight, keys go home in a suitcase, and the cleaner needs to get in on Tuesday. A smart lock takes all of that off you. Here’s how we set them up for hosts around Perth.
Step 1: choose the right lock
You want three things: a keypad (guests don’t want to install an app), the ability to hold several codes at once with start and end times, and a mechanical key or backup power for when batteries die. For a host who isn’t near the property, add WiFi so you can create and delete codes remotely. Lion Head’s WiFi models with a gateway do this well; Carbine’s PIN-plus-tag models suit hosts who want a tag for the cleaner. We fit McGrath, Lion Head, Lockton, Carbine, Lockwood and Yale.
Step 2: check the door
Most timber and aluminium entry doors take a smart lock into the existing cut-out. Security screen doors are hit and miss; some frames take a digital lock, some don’t. Send us a photo of the door and the current lock and we’ll tell you what fits before you buy anything.
Step 3: set up your codes
One code per booking, valid from check-in to check-out. A standing code for the cleaner. A separate one for you. Never one code for everyone; the point is being able to remove a person without affecting anyone else.
Step 4: write the guest message
Send the code the day before arrival with a one-line instruction: “Enter 4-6-2-8-1, press the tick.” Add a photo of the keypad. Tell them what to do if the lock beeps at them (usually a wrong digit) and your phone number. Nine out of ten “the lock doesn’t work” messages are a mistyped code.
Step 5: batteries and backups
Put a battery change in the calendar every six months regardless of the warning. Keep the mechanical key somewhere the cleaner can reach in a pinch, not in a lockbox on the front wall. If the lock has external battery contacts, keep a 9-volt battery in the cleaner’s kit.
What about the screen door and the side gate?
Guests forget those. Either leave the screen door unlocked for the stay and rely on the main door, or fit a keypad lock there too if the frame allows. Side gates and pool gates usually take a combination padlock; see padlocks and gate locks.
Common questions
Do guests need an app?
No. A keypad code is all they need. You use the app; they don’t.
Can I change codes from another suburb, or interstate?
Yes, with a WiFi model and its gateway hub. Without WiFi you manage codes at the lock or within Bluetooth range.
What if the internet at the property drops out?
Codes already on the lock keep working. You just can’t add or remove codes remotely until it’s back.
Is a smart lock secure enough for a rental?
More secure than keys you can’t get back. The locks we fit are at least as strong as the key lock they replace, and a code can be deleted the moment a guest leaves.
Setting up a short-stay?
Call 0427 580 823Send an enquiry
All the locks we fit are on the digital and smart locks page. Holiday lets along the coast: Hillarys.