Key checkout
Most units don’t have a smart lockbox. Getting in means a keypad code or a key under the mat, written on the listing. A note like that can’t tell you it’s been used, and you can’t switch it off once somebody has read it.
So the moment worth capturing is the moment the code is handed over. That’s what key checkout does.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”- A broker taps Show access code at the unit.
- Seeing the code checks the key out to them, with a time it’s due back.
- They show the unit.
- They put the key back and take a photo of it in the box. That closes it.
- If they’re late they get a reminder, and if they stay late their own office is told.
Tapping Show access code again just shows the same code. It doesn’t start another clock.
Turning it on
Section titled “Turning it on”Go to Settings → Key checkout. Only an owner can change this, because it applies to the whole company.
New workspaces start with it switched on, a four-hour window, a reminder an hour before, and alerts to the office.
| Setting | Options | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Return due | 15 minutes to 6 hours | 4 hours |
| Remind brokers | Off, 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours before | 1 hour |
| Tell your office when a key is late | On or off | On |
Changes save on their own, and they never shorten a deadline somebody is already working to.
Whose rule applies
Section titled “Whose rule applies”This is the part worth reading twice.
The broker’s own company sets the rules, not the company that owns the unit.
If you run a brokerage and switch key checkout on, it applies to your brokers wherever they’re showing, including units belonging to a management company you work with. Your window, your reminders, and your office gets told.
The company that owns the unit still sees who has the key to its own door. It just doesn’t set the deadline or do the chasing.
When a key is out
Section titled “When a key is out”The listing shows who has it and how long they’ve got. Your office can:
- Nudge them
- Mark it returned, if you can see the key is back and they forgot to confirm
The broker can:
- Confirm the return, with a photo
- Say they never took the key, if it wasn’t in the box. This isn’t a return. It tells the office straight away that the key is missing
Brokers can see when a colleague at their own company has the key. They can’t see the name of somebody at a different company.
When you don’t need it
Section titled “When you don’t need it”Units with a UnitBook lockbox don’t need key checkout. Those lockboxes already record who opened them, on their own. See your lockboxes.