Why Designing Modern Properties Requires Thoughtful Access Control

Until recently, access control into and around rental properties was considered a basic necessity, a line item that didn’t need any in-depth thought or design work. As long as locks took keys, intercoms buzzed people in, and keypads worked with codes or fobs, access control remained an integral — if not unremarkable — property design element.

But technology is changing all that with connected solutions that enable modern necessities like keyless curb-to-couch entry, secure package delivery, and unattended showings. These indicate that rental property management staff and owners should expect access control to be both a necessity and an amenity. The good news is that it’s relatively simple and cost-effective to implement new connected access systems into new construction and existing buildings.

How to Think About Access as Part of a Property’s Natural, Unique Layout

Below are some of the most common use cases we saw in 2020 that we think will continue to grow in 2021, along with insights around feasibility and ROI.

1. Resident doors: Keyless locks at resident doors not only enable a smart property experience for residents, but also provide major conveniences for both residents and property staff. For one, connected keyless entry makes easy-to-lose physical keys unnecessary. This eliminates the costs for key management systems and the time and money spent managing keys — which can take upward of 20 minutes per work order. It also removes the liability, safety, and cost issues that come up when physical keys are lost.

In addition, keyless locks allow prospective residents to tour properties via unattended showings when it’s convenient for them with single-access smart keys. These self-showings offer flexibility and safety during the pandemic because the resident can get into the property without meeting a staff member in-person. Plus, the staff member doesn’t have to deal with the hassle of no-shows. For all the benefits they offer, keyless locks are relatively inexpensive at around $150 to $200 per door for the hardware.

2. Common areas: Cloud-connected access control facilitates quick access for maintenance and deliveries throughout common areas by utilizing one of several available smart keys: six-digit codes (which are 100 times more secure than four-digit pin codes), key fobs, or smartphone devices.

Each type of smart key has a particular value, such as a temporary code that can be generated for each work order, that helps lower the costs of managing packages and deliveries. Cloud-based systems also allow for real-time granting and rejecting of credentials and the ability to track who enters and exits a building or unit, which improves the safety of buildings.

To implement cloud-connected access control, you should be sure to spec a cloud-based system in the construction process. With a current design, you can simply replace the central controller.

3. Front door intercoms: Intercom systems are traditionally a resident, guest, or vendor’s first interaction with a building. It sets the first impression and is key to bringing together a seamless curb-to-couch experience for residents, guests, staff members, and vendors. As with the above use cases, front door intercoms remove operational costs, like those associated with key management, lockouts, deliveries, and the like.

Luckily, there are low-cost options to upgrade existing telephone-based systems with codes that can synchronize across common areas and resident doors. There are options for every budget and building type. For example, it costs less than $300 to upgrade existing telephone-based systems to support codes as smart keys and several thousands of dollars for camera- and touchscreen-based systems.

By incorporating smart access control into a design, whether during preconstruction design or when planning a value-add retrofit, you can ensure that the entire system works seamlessly throughout the property to deliver a better, safer way to access everything.