The Best Smart Keybox for Showings

A smart keybox is a digitized, connected version of a padlock. You can hang it on or nearby the door to the unit you're looking to show. It holds a key to the traditional lock inside of it. People get access to it using either a pin code or bluetooth with an app on their phone.

Keyboxes are a great option for landlords who want to offer self guided showings right away without worrying about changing any of their locks, or for property managers who don't have permission from the owner to change the locks.

Since the smart lock industry revolves around the homeowner rather than landlords and property managers, and homeowners are more interested in deadbolt smart locks, there aren't too many keybox options available on the market. In fact, there are only three that we came across in our research: IglooHome's Keybox 3, the Sentrilock and the Codebox.

Best Smart Keybox for Price

Winner: Codebox

Keyboxes range in price from $50 to $180. The clear winner in this category is the Codebox, which costs $49.99 with an extra code for vendors included (recommended).

The Sentrilock sells a keybox for for $119.99 or $129.99 with shipping. This lock is designed for real estate brokers and has a subscription model built in, so you would also need to pay $99 per year for a minimum of two years. You also need to buy their card reader for $55.

The IglooHome Keybox 3 costs $169.99.

Best Smart Keybox for Safety

Winner: IglooHome Keybox 3

When it comes to keybox safety the most important features to look for are time-based pin codes and pin codes that stop working as soon as they're used. This is the best way to stop bad actors from sharing codes with friends, potentially letting in people who haven't been authenticated.

All three keybox codes stop working after use (although Codebox's takes two hours) but IglooHome's is the only one with time-based, one-time codes. It generates an access code specifically for a small window of time, like August 24th between 4PM and 5PM. If it isn't used in that time frame then it will never work again. The other options generate pins that last for the whole day.

Best Smart Keybox for Renter Experience

Winner: IglooHome Keybox 3

The showing experience is the renter's first impression of you. Wowing them is a great way to make them want to be your tenant. To do this, make it as easy as possible for them to get the code and let themselves in. Don't force them to download a mobile app, and send them their pin code instantly. IglooHome is the winner here because their lock can generate an unlimited number of pin codes on daily basis so you can automatically send everyone who books a showing a code as soon as they book.

Codebox and Sentrilock are only able to provide a certain amount of codes per day. This forces the self guided showings that use these keyboxes to ask prospects who have booked viewings to call them once they've arrived and read off the serial number of the keybox in order to get their access code. In 2020, renters want to get most things without having to make a phone call and definitely without having to find and read a serial number from the back of a piece of unknown hardware, which is why these options aren't great for the renter experience.

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