As self-guided tours (SGTs) continue to gain popularity in the rental housing industry, there are still many who are skeptical. One of the best ways to ensure your self-guided tours are secure and effective is through deploying smart home technology. Smart home can increase security, provide convenience for staff and prospects, and make your properties stand out in the minds of renters. Let’s take a deeper dive into how smart home technology facilitates self-guided tours.
Security
Even with growing adoption of SGT, the biggest question from skeptics is still security. How can I give a stranger access to my property totally unaccompanied? How can I make sure they leave after? Well, most self-guided touring providers will have various software security measures in place, like location and ID verification. But the real tipping point comes from hardware. Smart locks, cameras, sensors, and alarms all contribute to the safety of your asset 24/7, not just during a self-guided tour. These are also useful both for deterring crime and collecting evidence after the fact.
Smart locks can keep a log of every lock/unlock, with unique codes for regular users like staff and residents, and one-time expiring codes for self-touring prospects. Even so, it usually takes a contact sensor to let you know definitively if the door is open or closed. (Note: not all smart locks are compatible with self-guided touring and smart home systems. For an all-in-one smart lock that combines Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for maximum compatibility, check out the Rently Smart Bolt Elite.)
Contact sensors easily install on the inside of doors and windows, notifying you of potential security breaches. They can send alerts if a door/window stays open for too long, or opens outside of your expected schedule. Similarly, motion sensors install inside of a unit to monitor it while vacant.
When it comes to deterring crime or catching criminals, your best bet is security cameras strategically placed at perimeters or common areas. These aren’t technically part of “smart home”, as residents never have control over them, but they are most useful when integrated with your smart home platform. That way, you can still manage all your devices from one system, with one login. Security cameras can sometimes integrate with other devices like access panels (for multifamily communities). This makes it easy to find the associated footage for each event in the access panel’s log. Additionally, seeing security cameras around a community can make prospects and residents feel safer.
Another type of camera is the doorbell camera, which does fall under resident control. These are another popular security measure that install beside front doors of individual homes/units. When used together, these cameras provide a comprehensive view of any activity at your property. Even a smart thermostat can help you know if your property is occupied when it shouldn’t be—you can always see when it’s being used.
Convenience
The most significant increase in convenience, both for staff and renters, comes from smart access control. A lockbox still has the weakness of key management, and you still have to move them around. A smart lock, however, can produce a one-time or expiring code for self-guided tours, and continues to provide value through tenancy. Eliminating keys means no replacement key costs or lockouts, and no worrying about prospects forgetting to put keys back into the lockbox before they leave. Most smart locks will also have an autolock feature, so you also don’t have to worry about prospects forgetting to lock the door when they leave.
Another consideration is long-term benefit. A lockbox is only needed for vacancy, but investing in smart locks will generate incredible ROI through saved staff time, reduced operational costs like missing keys, and resident satisfaction/retention.
Smart home tech can also make it easier to prepare a unit for showing; smart locks enable contactless turnovers, allowing managers to revoke former resident access with the click of a button. One Rently client reported that turnovers used to take 1–2 hours per unit, and with smart locks they now take less than 5 minutes. Giving access to maintenance workers becomes equally effortless with temporary access codes.
Other smart home devices provide staff convenience in other ways—for example, smart thermostats monitor HVAC usage and identify faulty units, saving you a trip to your property. Ultimately, any smart home device that enables remote control of homes/units will be a huge time-saver for your staff.
Elevated Experience
The purpose of a property showing is to put your best foot forward and convince the renter that this is where they want to live. Smart home technology is an easy way to increase tour volume and conversion while making your tours and your properties stand out. It’s no secret that renters want smart home tech. Advertising it on your website will attract more leads, and showing it off during tours will help you sign those leases.
This is where we get into the future of property showing at a luxury level. Smart home technology creates an opportunity to not only enhance the tour experience, but also to impress renters by highlighting your amenities in real time. Leave pamphlets or note cards pointing out different devices around the home, or elaborate on the benefits of the smart lock the renter just used for their tour. Schedule the HVAC system to kick in just before a self-tour to create the perfect showing environment, and remotely turn it off immediately after, all without wasting energy or staff time. Set up your smart voice assistant like Google Home or Alexa to greet prospects and provide pre-programmed answers to common renter questions. There are an infinite number of creative ways to show off your smart home devices and wow your prospects!
Conclusion
Smart home technology is the key to making self-guided tours safe, efficient, and effective. For the most secure self-guided tours, we recommend starting with smart locks, contact sensors, and motion sensors—in that order. Rently’s Resident Lifecycle Management platform encompasses every stage of the leasing process, integrating smart home technology, self-guided touring, and much more. For more information on Rently’s tailored solutions, book a demo today.
