How Rently Makes Self-Guided Tours Safe
Easy to set up, self-guided tours allow prospective renters the flexibility of seeing a property on their own schedule.
Image courtesy of Rently
Everyone loves the idea of self-guided property tours. Allowing prospects to schedule a convenient tour time and view units on their own, at their own pace, frees a property manager to focus on other important matters.
Since tech-savvy renters are accustomed to on-demand experiences and use their mobile phones for property searches, the ability to self-tour also trends well with consumer preferences.
For managers, self-guided tours are easy to set up and offer them the choice of whether or not to be onsite for tours, allowing them to prioritize how they spend their time.
Sounds ideal…until the inevitable security concerns arise.
What many property managers may not know, however, is that self-guided tours can actually be made secure, and property breaches are rare.
Since 2011, Rently has provided property operators with the capability to offer secure, self-guided tours (SGTs). Initially inspired to provide an additional touring option outside of regular business hours, Rently’s self-guided tours now are used at any time of day with more than 16 million self tours successfully completed!
In addition to their convenience and ease, self-guided tours help achieve leasing success. Self-guided tours increase overall touring traffic by 25%, increase lease conversions by 2%, and reduce a property’s time on market by 75%.
Rently’s SGT solution combines tamper-resistant smart locks with secure software that is accessible from a desktop or mobile app. With Rently’s solution, property tours can take place anytime that is convenient for the renter, without managers having to be involved, until the prospect is ready to sign a lease.
So, how does it work? And, how does Rently make SGTs safe?
The answer is by using a multi-layer, multipoint security check process to verify all property listings and verify every renter requesting a self-guided property tour.
From Rently Listings, renters are invited to create an account to schedule a tour. They must provide basic contact information, credit card details, a government-issued photo ID, and a selfie photo. Renter photos are run through very stringent verification criteria. If any one of these criteria are not met, Rently will not create the account. For activated accounts, Rently maintains ongoing security with 2-factor login authentication.
When a renter arrives onsite for a tour, they must pass through a series of additional security screenings before they are granted physical access to a home. First, they are asked to upload a live selfie photo that is matched (using facial recognition) to their existing account photo. This ensures that the person who scheduled the tour is the same person taking the tour. Rently also matches a renter’s account phone number with the device being used to tour. Renters are then asked a series of questions unique to the property to confirm their actual presence onsite and politely asked to temporarily turn off any mobile device VPN feature that could hide their actual location. Finally, prior to receiving a property access code, renters are asked to enter a unique serial number visible on the smart lockbox or smart lock of the residence they wish to tour.
Rently’s industry-leading pre-tour screening system works in sync with an “always on” fraud detection system to take immediate action against suspicious behaviors, such as excessive tour scheduling, excessive users sharing one device, disposable email domains, and foreign device signals. Rently regularly scores account behavior and bans accounts that present a high security risk. Thanks to these ongoing efforts, reported scams have been reduced by 30% since the beginning of 2023!
Taken together, Rently’s on- and off-site security features create the safest self-guided touring experience on the market today.
