Who Really Has Access to Your Multifamily Property?
Separate access systems can leave permissions active long after a resident moves out or a contractor finishes a job, and Luxer Access’s Tad Jenkins explains how operators can keep track of who can enter their property, why, and for how long.
A resident moves out. Their apartment is inspected and the Property Management System is updated. But has their access to the parking garage, package room and fitness center ended too?
Access permissions also need to reflect everyday life during a tenancy. A resident might use an app to give a guest entry for an afternoon, allow a dog walker access on certain days between agreed hours, or issue a one-time pass for a DoorDash or package delivery. Each permission has a purpose and should end when that purpose is fulfilled.
When access is managed through separate systems, keeping those permissions current can involve several records, logins and manual changes. Updating a tenancy does not necessarily update every permission associated with it. The question for operators is how easily their teams and residents can give people the access they need, for the time they need it – and ensure it ends afterwards.
The work between the systems
Recent research found that 70 percent of surveyed US multifamily companies had electronic access control in at least one property. However, the report also identifies the extra work created by separate vendor portals, apps and data stores, including staff using multiple interfaces to onboard and offboard residents.
That leaves people responsible for joining the systems together operationally. Someone must know which records need updating, have the necessary permissions and confirm that each change has been completed. Staff absence or turnover can expose how much that process depends on individual knowledge.
A centralized platform brings permissions for connected entrances and spaces into one place. This allows teams to review a departing resident’s access together, rather than searching for it across separate records. The connection to the PMS can also reduce duplicate administration, although operators need to establish which changes happen automatically and which require action.
Workarounds tell you where the process is failing
Temporary access needs to be straightforward to arrange and limited to the job at hand. A contractor repairing equipment, for example, may need entry through a service entrance and into an equipment room for an agreed period. If setting that up is cumbersome, staff may resort to sharing a permanent code. The immediate problem is solved but the longer-term question is who now knows that code and whether anyone will change it.
Operators should examine what makes these shortcuts attractive. Delays in arranging access can leave staff choosing between holding up necessary work and finding another way in. The same pressure arises when delivery drivers cannot reach the package room and repeatedly need someone to admit them.
Managing connected spaces through one platform should make it easier to arrange access for the actual task: the entrance and service area a contractor needs, during an agreed working window. That avoids granting wider permissions simply because they are easier to administer.
When evaluating a system, operators should ask how staff can extend a contractor’s access or authorize a visit outside the agreed hours, and whether those changes are recorded.
Who owns the problem when a door behaves unexpectedly?
A central record cannot resolve every access issue by itself. Hardware, installation and connectivity all affect whether a permission works as intended.
If someone cannot enter – or can still enter after access should have ended – the property team needs a clear route to resolution. Otherwise, staff can find themselves passing the problem between suppliers, each responsible for a different component.
This makes accountability an important part of a unified approach. Operators should establish who investigates an issue across the hardware and software, who coordinates the fix and what support is available outside office hours.
A useful starting point is to trace one recent move-out and one completed contractor visit. Can the team show which spaces each person could enter, when permission ended and how that was confirmed? Any uncertainty identifies a specific gap to address—and a practical test of whether the property’s access systems work together.
Bringing access management together
A centralized platform should give property teams a clear view of access across connected spaces and a consistent way to manage it as residents, staff and contractors come and go. Bringing those permissions together, supported by clear responsibility for the hardware and software, reduces the coordination left to individual employees. Operators can then answer the question with greater confidence: who has access to the property, why do they need it and when should it end.
