The apartment was rented out on a daily basis many times - how many keys to it exist now?
Let's call the owner of the apartment Maxim. For several years the apartment was used for short-term rentals. During this time, dozens of different guests…
Owner's name and details have been changed.
Let's call the owner of the apartment Maxim. For several years the apartment was used for short-term rentals. During this time, dozens of different guests lived in it.
Usually the key was handed over personally or left in a special place. There were never any serious problems. Later, Maxim decided to stop daily rent and use the apartment for himself.
Then the question arose:
“Over the course of several years, this key has been used by a huge number of people. Does it make sense to keep the same lock?
For facilities with frequent changes of users, this is a particularly pressing issue of access control.
How short-term rental differs from regular rental
In long-term rentals, the key is usually kept by one tenant for several months or years. With daily rentals, a large number of people can receive the same key sequentially.
Even with completely conscientious guests, the owner eventually loses the ability to accurately track the entire history of the key.
Does this mean the guests are dangerous?
No. The vast majority of clients return the keys and never try to use the access again. But technically, a mechanical key can be copied, and the owner is not always able to control this process.
Therefore, when ending a short-term rental, you can simply close the old access period and start a new one.
What can be done
If a cylinder lock is installed, replacing the cylinder is often sufficient. Then all old keys automatically become irrelevant. For a property that continues to rent out, you may want to consider a more user-friendly access control system.
For example, a solution where it is easier to change access rights between users.
When is it especially worth updating the system
If:
- the apartment was rented out for several years;
- the same set of keys was used;
- keys were periodically lost;
- access was transmitted through intermediaries;
- the object will now be used by the owner himself;
- the purpose of the room changes.