Tips about smart door locks

 If you have a house, particularly a rental house, maybe on short term rental like AirBnB or such... It's not uncommon at all to have a smart lock on at least one, usually the front, door. 

Guests will be guests.  So will cleaning staff and others.  That means that inevitably,  someone will lock themselves out.  They'll forget a code number, they might lose an access fob or card.  They might lock the wrong lock.  

Yep, one thing many owners/managers forget about is the doorknob lock and how some folks can't stop themselves from locking that on the way out.  Codes and fobs and thumbprints don't unlock doorknob locks. The smart locks often only control the deadbolt.  Though there are main access door smart locks that control door knob/handle control as well.


I usually recommend having a set of keys hidden in a lockbox somewhere on the property, accessible on need-to-know basis only, that has a mechanical key to the front door deadbolt/smart lock.  It should also have a copy of the doorknob lock key in it as well.

If you're leery about having a key lockbox just out there on the property, you might consider having a handyman on contract that has a key lockbox for customer's keys that will go out and unlock doors for said guests.  

But don't forget the doorknob lock.  Because I can guarantee you that guests WILL lock it and get themselves locked out.


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