5 Key Control Tips for a Successful Student Housing Turn

In student housing communities, turn season is chaotic, with just a few weeks to prepare apartments for new residents. Managing keys during this time is tricky, especially for the growing number of properties featuring more than 1,000 beds. However, the right key control system can make the process more manageable. To get started, use these tips to keep your turn season on track.

Improve Vendor/Contractor Key Access Management

“The carpet cleaners are here, but the key for units 301 through 306 are gone!”

“Did the painters ever return the keys for Building C? If we don’t find them, we’re going to need to rekey.”

“The units in Building A still look dirty. Have the keys been checked out to the cleaners yet?”

Sound familiar? Coordinating access for multiple contractors and vendors across hundreds of apartments is complex. Add keys to the mix, and it’s easy for even the most organized schedules to fall apart.

Solution

Use your key control system's group checkout feature to efficiently manage vendor access. Here's how:

• Create key groups based on your turn schedule (e.g., by building, floor, or service type).
• Select an entire group.
• Assign the keys to the appropriate user or vendor.
  
  

The assigned user can then check out the keys and select an appropriate checkout reason, which not only provides valuable tracking information but also establishes a return deadline.

Group Keys Together

Select a Group of Keys

Assign Keys to a User's Key Queue

The User Chooses Checkout Reasons

Some Checkout Reasons Require Additional Details

Depending on the reason, the user may be prompted to enter additional details, such as:

• Vendor name
• Service type
• Building/unit information
• Work order details

You can also create custom checkout reasons that allow the user to add more detailed notes. To prevent delays, set up alerts for overdue keys.

Simplify Management of Keys Issued Long Term

Handling a large number of keys in a short time frame is a logistical nightmare. Each unit often has multiple keys, including those for common areas, amenities, bedroom doors, mailboxes, and more.

Solution

Use a single tag in your key control system to manage all the keys associated with each unit. You can track them with the long-term key issue feature. When issuing keys, specify a return date so you can run a report of all unreturned keys and the person responsible for them.

While smart locks are becoming more common in student housing, you likely still have physical keys for certain areas like maintenance closets, amenity spaces, and backup access.

Refine the Resident Key Return Process

Making sure every resident in every apartment returns every key is no easy task. Lost or unreturned keys compromise security and require expensive lock changes. With multiple residents and keys per unit, tracking down every key can feel like a never-ending task.

Solution

To improve the key return process, implement clear policies that hold residents accountable, and communicate these guidelines to residents. For example, one property manager suggests requiring joint key returns and incentivizing early returns with raffles or cash prizes. Other best practices include:

• Never leave keys in the unit, mailbox, etc.
• Avoid giving keys to others for return.
• Understand the consequences of unreturned keys (e.g., fees).

With these measures in place, residents will be motivated to return keys on time, and the process will be easier for staff.

Manage Keys On the Go

When you’re walking the property with a handful of keys, how do you tell them apart? Some people might temporarily label them with unit numbers written on tape or mark keys with codes that correspond to a separate master list of unit numbers. But these methods can be time-consuming and can pose security risks, especially if a key labeled with the unit number falls into the wrong hands.

Along with key labeling concerns, tracking who’s responsible for a key when it’s handed off to another employee can create accountability gaps. For example, if a maintenance technician needs to hand off a key to a leasing manager, the key control records need to be updated to reflect that the leasing manager is now responsible for that key.

Solution

Use your key control provider’s mobile app to manage keys on the go. With KeyTrak, for example, you can print a label with a unique QR code to attach to each key tag. By scanning the QR code with the app, you can securely identify keys without having to put any identifying information on the tags.

Securely Identify Keys by Scanning QR Codes

Plus, staff members can transfer keys to each other through the app to maintain a complete audit trail. The system will show that the key is checked out to the new user.

Take Advantage of Key Control Reports

Juggling multiple tasks and managing the flow of keys can quickly overwhelm your team. Without accurate data and oversight, things can get disorganized fast.

Solution

To improve productivity during turn season, use your key control system's reporting features. If you have a KeyTrak system, for example, run the following reports:

• Vacant Apartments — See which apartments are empty.
• Overdue Key Issue — See which keys haven’t been returned on time.
• Contractors — View a list of all contractors set up in your key control system.
• Current Reservations — See which keys are reserved.
• Missed Reservations — Check on reserved keys that haven’t been checked out.
• Tags Out by User Role — See which keys various employees have checked out.

Regularly referencing these reports will help you stay organized throughout the hectic turn season. When combined with the other strategies we've covered, these insights will help strengthen your key management.

By implementing these best practices, you’ll improve your team’s efficiency, ensure better security, and create a smoother transition between residents.