Smart Locks for a Short-Term Rental: Codes, Backup Entry and Upkeep

A door lock for a short-term rental has three jobs to check before you buy. You need guest codes you can create, schedule and revoke from away. Guests need a backup entry they can actually use. The property needs upkeep you can manage between bookings. The eight smart locks below need no subscription for their core lock functions, and they differ on all three jobs.

Remote lock control is not proof of remote code management. A long advertised battery life is not proof that the lock will last a booking season. Use the maker’s exact model instructions and the conditions in our dated research profiles.

Check guest codes as their own feature

Ask whether you can create a code, set its start and end times, revoke it and confirm that the change reached the lock. Check code capacity and whether a network outage affects the schedule already on the lock.

Our records do not establish every one of those operations for each model. Do not infer them from an Alexa badge, Matter support or a built-in Wi-Fi radio.

Connection requirements still matter:

• Schlage Encode Plus, Schlage Sense Pro, August Wi-Fi Smart Lock have built-in Wi-Fi for their documented app routes.
• eufy FamiLock S3 Max and the Wi-Fi version of Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus also have built-in Wi-Fi. Read each profile for the documented app and platform functions.
• The SwitchBot Lock Ultra Vision Pro Combo includes the hub used for remote access. A bare-lock listing may not include it.
• Aqara U200 needs a Thread border router for its platform connections. Aqara warns that some Matter platforms cannot add passcodes and suggests using the Aqara Home app.
• Level Lock Pro needs its documented Thread route or a Level Connect Wi-Fi bridge for remote access. Its keypad is a separate accessory, and its guest passes lack time-of-day scheduling. A Thread connection does not remove that limit.

Check the exact package. Yale’s Bluetooth-only Assure Lock 2 Plus is a different configuration from the Wi-Fi model in our profile; do not transfer the Wi-Fi model’s integrations to it.

Make backup entry usable by a guest

Give guests clear instructions and arrange someone local who can help. Keep keys or emergency power accessible without entering the property first. No listed fallback is a guarantee against lockout, and a key-free design is not a finding about overall security quality.

The battery guide covers maker-rated runtimes and warning limits. August’s record no longer establishes the early push alert older copy on this site claimed. Rechargeable locks also need a charging plan and may use separate backup or keypad cells.

Read the free and paid access limits

The eight models above require no subscription for the core lock functions established in their records. That does not establish unlimited guest codes, every scheduling feature or free access through a booking-management service.

The Lockly Visage Zeno shows why a separate check matters. Its free app has limits on monthly eBadges, offline access codes, credential transfers and properties managed. LocklyOS raises those limits; our record does not establish its price. Confirm the particular operation and terms before committing to a setup across properties.

For the eufy FamiLock, the optional paid membership concerns video backup, and eufy does not confirm whether that covers the lock’s camera. Local video storage is documented only with a separate HomeBase 3. Do not treat “the lock works without a plan” as a complete answer about its video features.

If you manage the property from a different platform

A host may run the rental’s devices on one platform and check on them from another. Our records describe each platform connection by locking, unlocking and lock status, not by guest-code management, so a split setup still leaves the code work in whichever app documents it.

Google Home is the connection to read most closely. Google turns off voice unlock for every Matter lock, and turns off remote unlock for Matter locks that don’t require a PIN. That applies to the Aqara U200, the Level Lock Pro, the Schlage Sense Pro and the eufy FamiLock S3 Max, which all reach Google Home through Matter. For the Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus, Yale names Alexa, Google Home and SmartThings for the Wi-Fi model without saying what each one can do, so locking and unlocking from those platforms are unconfirmed.

Before ordering for the property

Write down the exact code operations, household systems and installation requirements. Confirm them on the maker’s support pages, then count the additional hubs and subscriptions. If a required function is not established, settle it before relying on the lock for guest entry.

The lock directory and compatibility checker show platform connections and their limits. Setup Check can research a broader equipment plan, including products outside our library.