Is NFCKEY the best solution for landlords?

The daily rental housing market in Russia continues to grow rapidly. According to popular daily rental business aggregators, by the end of 2025, its volume will have increased by 22% year-on-year, reaching 381 billion rubles. This trend is set to continue: over the next two years, the market will grow by another 44%, and by the beginning of 2028, its volume will reach approximately 549 billion rubles.

Let’s take a look at the existing solutions on the market, their advantages and disadvantages. In fact, there are quite a few options, but they all have certain compromises. Why hasn’t a universal solution appeared yet? The reason lies in the development of technologies and their availability.

In this article, we will consider:

Key transfer through an intermediary
KeyBox
Smart locks
NFCKEY
Are there any solutions without compromises?
Assessment of the criticality of compromises

Key transfer through an intermediary

In this scenario, there is a separate person who oversees everything: transfers and collects keys, and also cleans the premises. In large cities, this option is gradually being abandoned, but it is still common.

Advantages for the landlord

No need to spend time supervising key handover
No need to clean the apartment yourself

Advantages for the tenant

The system performs its basic function: the person can arrive and move in

Problems for the landlord

Costs for the person servicing the apartment, including payment for waiting time for visitors
Security issues: the system is based on trust, and duplicate keys may be created
If a key is lost, a new one must be purchased and, preferably, the lock cylinder replaced
No notifications or control over the situation in the apartment

Problems for the visitor

Need to meet with someone to get the keys
Need to strictly adhere to check-in and check-out times
Losing keys creates serious difficulties
Limited number of keys makes it difficult for several guests to move around separately

Conclusion: Handing over keys through an intermediary is an outdated solution that creates inconvenience for both parties. It persists mainly because of habit or lack of awareness of other options.

KeyBox

A more modern solution, which is actively promoted, including thanks to aggregators offering key transfer without a personal meeting. Such a system is often complemented by the services of cleaners, who no longer need to hand over the keys in person.

It is important to note that the box itself cannot automatically reset the password. This can only be done manually. This means that either the staff picks up the keys and returns them to the box with a new password, or there is a risk that the previous guest will retain access to the apartment after check-out. This can lead to conflicts and reputational risks.

The advantages for landlords remain, but are complemented by the fact that key management becomes more structured and staff do not have to wait for visitors. This reduces maintenance costs.

Key issues for visitors are resolved:

No need to meet with someone to get the keys
No need to strictly adhere to check-in and check-out times

However, many of the issues for the landlord from the first scenario remain. The solution for the owner is to reduce staffing costs and increase the number of visitors by eliminating their main inconveniences.

Remaining problems for visitors:

Losing keys remains a serious problem (usually only one key is available)
It is necessary to contact the landlord in advance to clarify details
The procedure for returning the key to the mailbox is inconvenient

Conclusion: KeyBox is a compromise solution that partially solves visitors’ problems at a relatively low cost (1,000-2,000 rubles). For the landlord, it is a way to slightly optimize processes and attract more customers.

Smart locks

Smart locks have many features that seem attractive for rentals at first glance. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Features that are not suitable for rentals:

Fingerprint — remote transmission is not possible, physical presence is required for registration
NFC or RFID key fobs/cards — similar to physical keys in terms of usage logic
Bluetooth unlocking — complicated setup, unstable operation
Apple Home Key — only works with iPhones, which limits about 75% of potential customers with Android devices

What landlords use:

Password code — the main function used in practice. However, an additional gateway is required for full operation, which costs between 3,000 and 5,000 rubles.

Important nuances of working with a code password:

The code must be generated manually in the application each time and sent to the guest
Visitors can share the code with other people
Without a gateway, login notifications are not received
Working via the Internet depends on servers, which can cause delays or failures

Conclusion: Existing smart locks were designed for personal use, not for rental. At a cost 7-20 times higher than Key Box, they mainly offer only temporary code passwords that require manual issuance and do not guarantee complete security. Therefore, such solutions are rarely used by landlords.

NFCKEY

Let’s take a look at the functionality offered by ShareLock from NFCKEY and how it solves problems for landlords and visitors.

Unlocking by phone on any system

Thanks to NFC technology, which is used in contactless payments, we have implemented the ability to unlock the lock with a smartphone. The solution works on Android and iOS without restrictions.

What this gives you:

The landlord receives notifications about entry regardless of the presence of a gateway
Unlike a passcode, which can be shared with anyone, access is tied to a specific device
Automated access issuance — after payment, the guest automatically receives a link to download the app
NFC is present in the vast majority of smartphones released after 2020
Ease of use — no complicated settings

Problems solved for landlords:

Staff only clean at convenient times, which reduces costs
High level of security: if you lose your phone, the apartment cannot be opened, and duplicate access is impossible
The notification system works at no additional cost
Access and notifications are processed by servers in Russia
Automation minimizes the owner’s involvement in the process

Problems solved for visitors:

No need to communicate with anyone or coordinate times
Check-in and check-out at any time
Losing your phone is less likely than losing your key
Access can be granted to any family member or friend via a link

Are there any solutions without compromises?

Our solution does involve a compromise — your phone may run out of battery. Let’s consider how critical this is.

How often does this happen?

According to statistics, 28% of people in Russia travel alone. In other cases, if you are traveling with someone, the likelihood that everyone’s phones will run out of battery at the same time is extremely low. Also, in most public places, you can find a charger, and many people travel by car with the ability to recharge.

Other features:

Requires downloading an app. It is compact and quick to install, but in the future we plan to develop a solution that does not require the installation of an app.

Backup access methods:

Code entry panel with a dynamically changing number layout
Keyhole for emergencies (can be combined with KeyBox)

Assessing the criticality of compromises

With the spread of contactless payments, people have switched to paying by phone without worrying about possible battery drain. The situation is similar with our solution, and in the case of apartment access, you can ask to use another person’s phone from your group.

According to our analysis, about 3-4% of visitors may encounter the problem of a dead phone. By warning guests about this feature and the availability of backup access methods, the likelihood of critical situations is reduced to a minimum.

Our solution does not so much save money as it gives landlords the opportunity to increase their income through an influx of customers. Increased demand allows you to increase the rental price without losing customers, minimize risks, and optimize your work.

It is important to understand that there are no uncompromising solutions. Every product has limitations, and the question is which compromises are acceptable and which are critical. We believe that the compromises of our solution are significantly less critical than those of existing alternatives.