Unlock our services for stress-free key management

A key. It sums up the property industry in a single image. Whether you work in sales, lettings, property management, holiday lets, social housing or auctions, that small piece of metal can control your working week.

A key gives professionals, trades, tenants, guests and new owners access to a property. Without a key there is no way of getting inside. A key also represents a person’s most valuable asset – it’s more tangible than title deeds and more personal than a mortgage. In the wrong hands, a key can cause all sorts of issues, while a lost key can be the root of panic and inconvenience. That’s why keys are logged, tagged, fiercely guarded and handed over in person.

Until some other method of door entry takes over, having to repeatedly visit properties with keys is one of the most disruptive elements when working. It’s not an income-generating task either, so the travel there, potentially waiting for a job to be completed, and the travel back to the office amounts to nothing more than admin. And, let’s face it, key management doesn’t require the highest level of skill either.

It is, without a doubt, one of the most painful parts of being an agent or manager.

For Viewber, offering property professionals a key management service is a natural extension of our business. We started making the life of agents and managers easier by offering to collect keys from their office and returning them at the end of a property viewing. Then we found our Viewbers were being asked to let trades in and lock up after, or wait in for a delivery. It was seeing how beneficial these perks were that prompted us to fully develop our key management services, as follows:

Key Safe (Lock Box) Installation

Keys safes (or lock boxes) remain the ideal – no worries about collecting keys, they’re always onsite and ours have an excellent safety record. You’ll never have to refuse access with one of these fitted.

They are brilliant for properties where there’s a high turnover of visits, such as Airbnbs and holiday cottages. As tempting as it may be, leaving a key under a doormat or flower pot for someone else to collect should be avoided – it will present a security risk and invalidate the home insurance. Thankfully, key safes provide an alternative way of leaving a key at a property. The latest Bluetooth key safes

Viewber can arrange the installation of a key safe at any property, with an insured professional coming out to fix the safe in the requested location. The installation is a service that’s easily booked via the Viewber dashboard, and the client can choose from three safe options. Our key safes can also be used in conjunction with our ‘preferred Viewber’ facility, where one favoured Viewber is given first refusal of all jobs at the given property.

The Masterlock 5401D is a great entry level key safe, providing space for one or two keys and secured with a 4-digit PIN that is entered on an integrated combination lock. The next model up is the Supra C500 Pro KeySafe, which is police preferred and secured with keypad entry of up to 12 characters. Viewber’s top-of-the-range key safe is an advanced Bluetooth model. In addition to individual one-off codes that take away worries about combinations being known, access via an app using Bluetooth is possible – next generation stuff.

Key Collection & Return

Our original service remains one of our most popular and works in a number of situations. A Viewber can collect a single key – or several sets – from an office or branch (within approx. 3 miles/10 minutes travel) and return the keys after the assignments are completed.

As well as being used on viewings, our Viewbers can use keys to gain access to a property for an inspection, to let trades in, to open up and wait for a delivery, or to let a fellow professional have access, such as an inventory clerk or an end-of-tenancy cleaner. During this service, primary key storage is provided by the agent or property manager, and Viewbers will follow their signing in and out protocol. It is, however, possible for the agent or manager to ‘post ahead’ any keys when there is some distance between the client and the property.

A Viewber Key Holder

Repeat visits to the same property can be frustrating, especially if the time spent at the residence is brief or the matter trivial. Viewber also understands that some properties on the open market are incredibly popular, with multiple viewing requests.

With this in mind, a Viewber can become a nominated key holder for a given property. This eliminates having to do the same key release administration over and over again, and reduces the risk of a key error in the office. Additionally, using the same Viewber for one property allows them to get to know the home and its quirks – an advantage when it comes to viewings. All Viewber’s key holders have to pass additional vetting, are DBS checked and are chosen for their exceptional availability.

Clients using our key holding service simply pay a one-off key holding fee, instead of ongoing charges, and managers get to build a working rapport with the designated Viewber.

Why use Viewber’s Key Management Services?

• Conduct fewer trivial property visits for more hours at your desk
• Increase viewing availability of an evening, at weekends and during times when the office is short staffed
• Let in a trade or fellow property professional without compromising your working day
• Reduce carbon emissions and fuel usage by choosing a Viewber who can walk to a property
• Provide holiday let and Airbnb guests with increased check in/check out flexibility

If key management is proving to be an unwelcome distraction in your office, contact Viewber to engage in one – or all – of our key solutions.