Vacation Rental Owner Blog

Like many of us in the by owner vacation rental industry, you have to have a solution to the “get a key to the renter” conundrum.  Here, I run down the ways to solve that riddle.

Again, this isn’t for those who are lucky enough (or unlucky, as it may be) to meet the renter in person as they check-in.

1. Snail-Mail the Keys

When I first started renting about 6 or so years ago, this was my solution.  I had a desk full of keys that would make my high school janitor proud.

Two weeks before check-in, I’d put them in an envelope and mail them off and let the renter know that it was their responsibility to call me if they didn’t get them.  After check-out you can have the renter mail them back or have them leave them for the cleaning crew.  With the cleaning crew method, they could collect a few bookings worth of keys and mail them back at once.

Expect to lose lots of keys this way.

2. Use the on-site office

For many of us with a rental in a resort, complex or community, there is usually an on-site office that handles the property management for most of the units for that complex.  Talk to them about the possibility of having them give the keys out.  Be prepared to pay 10-20% for the “service.”

Also, as part of this service they usually collect payment.  This might be good for you, but let me tell you a true story…

I walked into the office in my condo building to sign some paperwork.  While I was in there, some renters were checking into a condo they had booked through the owner.  They were checking in and paying at the office.  They went up to the condo, weren’t happy with something small and called to complain.  Guess what the first reaction for the office was?  You got it, they moved the renters into another condo!  Can you believe it?  Just like that you lose a booking and the office probably makes more money since they likely moved the renters into a condo they manage and make full commission on.  Ouch – that’s an expensive lesson for that condo owner!

3. Use a lock box

This is a good cheap, low-tech way to get keys to your renters.  These boxes either hang from the door-knob or mount beside the door.  Give the renter the combination and they can get the keys themselves.

The drawbacks include the previous renter not putting the key back, the renter not remembering the code, or not being able to see the lockbox if they arrive at night.  Make sure to have a back-up solution if one of these things happen.

4. Use a electronic keyless lock

A more 21st century approach is to allow your renters to enter a code.  The big box stores offer a variety of solutions here.

Another solution in this area is to link the keyless lock to a service so that you can set codes remotely.  This sounds very cool, but it certainly comes at a price.  I found one here, but haven’t tried it out so I can’t vouch for it.

I had all sorts of problems with the eletronic keypad I bought from Home Depot.  From battery issues (renter arrives to a dead keypad – yikes!) to simple overuse over the course of a summer, it became so I could not trust the keypad.  Plus, having a condo at the beach, I am sure the salt air didn’t help.

5. Use an off-site office

As a personal preference, I like this the best.  If you don’t have someone local to management your unit, consider calling around to see if you can find someone.  Ask your rental neighbors at an annual owners meeting.  Call around to independent realtors with offices near you (not the franchise realtors, as they will want a hefty fee for this service).

If you are lucky enough to find someone that charges a flat fee to hand out keys, you might want to consider that.  Having someone local means that your renter can get in touch with them if there is a mixup or a problem.

Do you have a solution I’ve left off?  Please leave a comment below…