The same code since last summer
The key safe at one of your cottages has had the same code since it was installed. Every guest from last season knows it, so do three former cleaners and a plumber who did one job. The code is in a spreadsheet, in dozens of arrival messages, and written on a sticky note in the office.
At another property the owner fitted a smart lock, but nobody linked it to the booking system, so it is used like a key safe with one permanent code.
Why codes do not get changed
Changing a key safe code means someone has to be at the property, remember to do it and update every record and message that mentions it. On a busy changeover day, that does not happen.
Smart locks solve part of the problem, but only if they are connected to bookings. Without that link, codes are created by hand, and staff find it simpler to keep one. Different properties also have different lock brands, each with its own app.
What unchanged codes cost
The obvious risk is security: someone who should no longer have access can get in. Owners worry about it and ask. If anything goes missing, you cannot say who had access. And when a code must be changed urgently, for example after a lost guest message, it becomes a rush job with messages to resend.
The access code management we build
We build a layer that ties access to bookings and jobs, working with the locks you have where they allow it.
- Access register: each property's entry method is recorded: key safe, smart lock and brand, or keys held by a keyholder.
- Smart lock codes per stay: for locks with an accessible API, a unique code is created for each booking, active from check-in to check-out, and sent in arrival instructions automatically.
- Key safe rotation: for key safes, a code change task is added to changeovers on the schedule you choose, and the new code is recorded by the cleaner so future messages use it.
- Staff and contractor codes: cleaners and contractors get time-limited codes for their jobs where locks support it, rather than a permanent code.
- Access log: smart lock entries are logged against the booking or job, so you can see who entered when.
- Code lookup: staff look up the current code in one place, rather than in spreadsheets or old messages, with access to that screen limited to those who need it.
| Access type | Code approach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Smart lock with API | Unique code per booking and job | Entry log from the lock |
| Smart lock without API | Codes set by staff, prompted by the schedule | Manual record |
| Key safe | Code changed on your chosen schedule at changeover | New code recorded by cleaner |
| Keyholder | Key collected and returned | Handover logged |
After the change
Guests get codes that only work for their stay, where the lock allows it. Key safe codes change regularly without anyone having to remember. Cleaners and contractors have access when they need it and not afterwards. And when an owner asks who has access to their property, you can answer.
Is this your access set-up?
- Key safe codes rarely or never change.
- Smart locks are fitted but not linked to bookings.
- Codes are stored in spreadsheets and old messages.
- Former cleaners or contractors may still know codes.
- You cannot say who entered a property on a given day.