Door Codes, Lockboxes and Giving Your Cleaner Access to a Rental

That Cleaning Girl · Airbnb & Rental Turnovers

Access is the part of turnovers nobody thinks about until it goes wrong. A cleaner standing in the driveway with the wrong code is time lost from a tight turnover. If you are hosting from out of town, which we covered in How Out-of-Town Hosts Keep an Airbnb Clean Without Being There, getting access right is even more important.

Here is how we handle access at the rentals we clean around Midlothian, Waxahachie and the south DFW area.

Smart locks and keypad deadbolts

A smart lock or a keypad deadbolt is the easiest way to manage access to a rental. Benefits include:

• A separate code for each guest and each cleaner
• Codes you can turn on and off from your phone
• A log of when the door was opened and locked
• No physical keys to copy or lose

Give your cleaner their own code. That way you can see when they arrive and leave, and you never have to share a guest’s code or change your cleaner’s code when guests change.

Keep fresh batteries in the lock. A dead battery on turnover day is a classic problem. Some locks warn you in the app when batteries are low, so pay attention to that alert.

Lockboxes

If you do not have a smart lock, a lockbox is the next best option. A few tips:

• Put it somewhere discreet but easy to find, like a gas meter or a side fence post
• Choose a sturdy, weather-resistant model
• Change the code regularly, especially after any guest who had it
• Keep a spare key in the box, not the only key

Describe exactly where the lockbox is in your cleaner’s notes. "On the side of the house" is not enough when there are three sides and it is raining.

Gates, garages and outbuildings

Many rentals around Ellis County have gated driveways, garages or storage sheds. Each one needs its own access detail:

• Gate codes and how to open the gate if the power is out
• Garage codes or the location of the remote
• The key or code for the owner’s closet
• Codes for sheds, pool gates or hot tub covers

List every one of these in your entry notes. A cleaner who cannot get into the owner’s closet cannot restock the rental.

Writing good entry notes

Entry notes are the instructions every visit starts with. They should cover:

• The address and where to park
• The door code or lockbox location and code
• Gate, garage and closet codes
• The alarm system code and how to arm and disarm it
• Any pets on site, if the rental has an owner’s animal
• Rooms or areas to skip
• Thermostat and lighting settings to leave on the way out
• Who to call if something goes wrong

We keep entry notes on file for every client, so each visit starts the same way, even if a backup cleaner steps in.

Keeping access secure

Security matters in a rental where many people come and go. A few habits keep things safe:

• Never post codes in your listing or public guidebook
• Send codes privately through the booking app or a direct message
• Change guest codes every stay
• Change the lockbox code after any problem guest
• Keep cleaner codes separate from guest codes
• Review your lock’s access log now and then

If a code is ever shared somewhere it should not be, change it right away and tell your cleaner the new one.

When access fails

Even with good systems, things happen. Batteries die, Wi-Fi drops and lockbox dials freeze. Have a backup plan: a spare key with a trusted neighbor, a second lockbox, or a local contact who can let the cleaner in. Ask your cleaner to call or text right away if they cannot get in, instead of waiting.

The first visit

The first turnover at a new property is when access problems show up. Plan to be reachable by phone that day, even if you are out of town. Walk your cleaner through the access steps by text, or meet them there if you live nearby. Once the first visit goes smoothly, update the entry notes with anything that was confusing, like a sticky deadbolt, a gate that needs a hard push or a closet key that lives in a kitchen drawer. After that, every visit should start the same way without you.

Simple, written and up to date

Good access is simple, written down and kept up to date. Spend a few minutes getting your entry notes right, and every turnover starts smoothly. For more on how we work with hosts, see our short-term rental cleaning page.