Owning a single-family rental home in Central Florida means juggling many tasks – and showing your property to prospective tenants is one of the most important. Traditionally, in-person showings (with an agent or landlord on-site) have been the norm. But in today’s fast-paced, tech-savvy world, self-guided “self-tours” are becoming popular in the Orlando property management scene[1]. Many Orlando landlords are intrigued by self-tours as a way to rent their homes faster, yet understandably worry about things backfiring – like strangers damaging the house or falling victim to rental scams. The good news is that self-guided tours can be done safely and effectively. With the right smart lock technology and fraud-prevention steps, you can broaden your pool of applicants and fill vacancies faster without exposing your investment to undue risk.
In this guide, we’ll compare in-person vs. self-guided showings (pros and cons), explain how smart lock solutions like CodeBox, Rently, and SmartRent are enabling safe self-tours in Orlando rentals, and detail the fraud screening techniques (ID verification, geofencing, etc.) that keep these tours secure. You’ll also see examples of how Ackley Florida Property Management uses self-showings with great success. By the end, you should feel reassured that “self-tours” don’t have to backfire – when handled properly, they can actually save you time, attract more qualified renters, and protect your property. Let’s dive in.
In-Person Showings vs. Self-Guided Tours: Pros and Cons
Before adopting self-guided tours, it’s important to understand how they differ from old-fashioned in-person showings. Both approaches have advantages and drawbacks:
Pros of Traditional In-Person Showings:
Personal Touch & Salesmanship: You (or your leasing agent) meet the prospect, answer questions on the spot, and “sell” the home’s features face-to-face[2]. This personal interaction can build trust and let you gauge the renter’s interest and demeanor in real time.
On-Site Security: With an agent present, the property is never unattended during the tour. You can ensure doors are locked afterwards, lights are turned off, and nothing goes awry. An in-person host also deters casual theft or mischief, since someone is watching[2].
Immediate Feedback: You can get instant feedback or objections from prospects and address them. If a room feels small or the tenant has a concern, you’re right there to respond or highlight a selling point.
Cons of Traditional Showings:
Scheduling Hassles: Coordinating schedules can be a headache. Prospects often can only view homes during limited hours, and you or your agent must be available at those specific times. This rigid scheduling means fewer showings, especially if you have multiple properties or many interested parties[3]. No-shows or late arrivals waste your time and fuel.
Slower Leasing & Limited Reach: Because of scheduling constraints, you might only show the home a few times a week. You could lose out on qualified renters who can’t make those time slots. Every day a showing is delayed is another day of vacancy – and lost rent.
Safety Concerns for Agents/Landlords: Meeting strangers in a vacant house carries personal safety risk. Unfortunately, there’s a chance (albeit small) of encountering a dangerous individual. Solo agents have to stay vigilant when meeting unknown prospects[3].
Cannot Scale Easily: If there’s heavy interest, you (or your team) have to physically be present for dozens of tours, which is labor-intensive. It’s hard to scale up showings without more staff.
Pros of Self-Guided “Self-Tours”:
Ultimate Convenience & Flexible Timing: Prospective tenants can tour on their own schedule, even during evenings or weekends outside of normal business hours[4]. This 24/7 availability means far more people can see the home. In fact, 83% of renters want the option of self-guided tours, and 42–53% prefer touring outside work hours[4][5]. You’re effectively keeping your rental “open for viewing” all the time, not just when you or an agent is free.
More Showings = Faster Leasing: With self-tours, multiple prospects can view the property on the same day (even simultaneously at different timeslots or on the same day) since no staff is needed on-site[6][7]. This dramatically increases showing volume. More people getting through the front door at their leisure means more applications and quicker tenant placement on average[8]. One Orlando property manager reported that vacant homes rented faster and received more applications after adopting self-showings, simply because more qualified people could access the home promptly[8].
Time Savings for Owners/Agents: You or your property manager save countless hours by not personally attending every tour. There’s no commuting back and forth for showings or waiting around for late visitors. Your team can focus on screening applications, marketing, or managing other properties while the home essentially “shows itself.” This efficiency is a big reason many large rental operators (Invitation Homes, Progress Residential, etc.) rolled out self-tour lockboxes across their portfolios[1].
Broader Applicant Pool (Including Out-of-State Renters): Self-guided tours are ideal for applicants relocating from out of town or those with irregular schedules. An out-of-state moving family can fly in for a weekend and tour several homes on their own, even if it’s after 5pm or Sunday morning. You capture more leads who might otherwise skip your listing. In a hot Orlando rental market, that broader reach can make the difference in securing a great tenant quickly.
Safer for Agents During Showings: Because no representative has to be on-site with a stranger, there’s zero risk of personal harm during the tour. Especially after COVID, self-tours also minimize unnecessary person-to-person contact[9]. In a way, you’re removing the human safety concern and focusing on securing the property itself (which, as we’ll see, technology can handle).
Cons of Self-Guided Tours:
No Face-to-Face Interaction: You lose the personal touch of meeting applicants. There’s no opportunity to “read” the person during the tour or answer questions in real time[10]. Some owners worry this makes it harder to build rapport or sell the home’s best features (though follow-up calls and good listing info can bridge the gap).
Property Left Unattended: The biggest concern: “What if someone damages my house when no one is there?” With self-tours, a stranger is briefly in your property alone. This raises fears of theft, vandalism, doors left unlocked, or even someone attempting to squat. Liability issues also come to mind – e.g. if they injure themselves or cause a problem while unsupervised[10]. These are frightening scenarios, but as we’ll discuss next, proper safeguards make them highly unlikely (and your insurance is a backstop in the very rare case something goes wrong[11]).
Potential for Scams: Self-showings introduced new types of rental scams in some areas. For example, a fraudster might pry open a lockbox or obtain an access code under false pretenses, then impersonate the owner and try to rent out the home to unsuspecting victims (collecting deposits on a house that isn’t theirs). Or, an applicant with stolen ID info could conceivably pass initial verifications to tour the home. These scenarios are extremely uncommon with today’s advanced systems (we’ll explain why), but they’re worth noting as a con – property managers must stay vigilant and use fraud prevention tools so self-tours don’t get exploited[12][13].
No Onsite Sales Pitch: An empty home has to “speak for itself.” Some agents feel they can charm a tenant in person or highlight things a renter might miss. With self-guided tours, you rely on your online listing, photos, and the home’s condition to make the sale. However, many renters are fine with this – a recent survey even found 40% of renters outright prefer self-guided tours over agent showings[14]. It really depends on the prospect; plenty are happy exploring alone at their own pace.
As you can see, self-guided tours offer huge benefits in efficiency and leasing speed, but they also introduce different risks to manage. The key for Orlando property owners is to maximize the pros (more showings, more convenience) while rigorously mitigating the cons (security and fraud concerns). Fortunately, modern smart lock technology and screening processes are rising to the challenge. In the next sections, we’ll show how smart locks and fraud prevention steps make self-tours safe – turning it into a win-win for owners and renters alike.
Smarter Showings: How Smart Locks Enable Safe Self-Tours
Smart digital lockboxes (like the CodeBox unit shown) provide one-time codes and secure key storage for self-showings.
The backbone of any successful self-guided tour program is the smart lock or lockbox. Instead of meeting a prospect with keys in hand, property managers in Orlando are using devices like CodeBox, Rently lockboxes, or SmartRent smart locks to grant controlled access to empty rentals. Here’s how these technologies work and why they’re so effective:
Digital Lockboxes (e.g. CodeBox): A lockbox is a secure, battery-powered box that holds the house key. Prospects request a tour online and, once approved, receive a temporary code to open the box at the property. CodeBox is one popular brand – it generates unique PIN codes and is weather-resistant for outdoor use[15][16]. The code typically works only once or within a short time window, then expires. This means each visitor gets one-time access; they can retrieve the key, unlock the door, and are expected to return the key and lock up when done[17][18]. The lockbox records each entry. If anything ever goes wrong, you know exactly who accessed the unit and when (since every code is tied to a verified user account). According to a Rently survey, 81% of property managers use some form of lockbox already, and 72% specifically use CodeBox devices[19] – a testament to how common and trusted this tech has become.
Smart Locks (e.g. SmartRent, PointCentral): Rather than a physical box holding a key, some homes use electronic smart locks on the door itself. These locks can be unlocked via a temporary PIN code or via a smartphone app for the duration of the tour. For instance, SmartRent’s self-guided tour solution connects to smart locks and will automatically generate a unique access code for a verified prospect[20][21]. Once their scheduled tour time ends, the code is invalidated so it can’t be reused[22]. Smart locks eliminate keys entirely – no risk of a key being copied, lost, or not returned[23][24]. Additionally, many smart locks can be remotely monitored and even integrated with security systems (more on that later). The big players in single-family rentals – including large Orlando rental portfolios – often deploy smart locks for both convenience and extra security, since they allow instant rekeying and remote control.
Integrated Self-Tour Platforms (Rently, Tenant Turner, etc.): Whether you use a CodeBox lockbox or a smart lock, you’ll likely manage tours through a self-tour software platform. Services like Rently, Tenant Turner, ShowMojo, or SmartRent’s platform handle the entire process: prospect registration, identity verification, scheduling, code generation, and post-tour follow-up. In Orlando property management, Rently is a well-known platform for single-family home self-tours. It integrates with CodeBox and its own branded lockboxes, allowing property managers to easily automate tours. The system ensures only one tour at a time per home (to avoid overlap unless explicitly allowed), and it won’t issue an entry code until the prospect passes all checks and is physically at the property (confirmed via geolocation)[25][26]. These platforms also send automated emails or texts to prospects after the tour, inviting them to provide feedback or start an application[27] – so you never forget to follow up.
In practice, these smart lock solutions make self-guided showings remarkably safe and controlled. Every visitor is tracked, every entry is logged, and codes simply won’t work outside the allowed parameters. It’s worlds apart from just hiding a key under the doormat (don’t ever do that!). When you hand over access digitally, you maintain far better control:
Time-Limited, Unique Codes: No more master keys floating around. If a code is used at 2 PM for a 30-minute tour, it won’t work again at 4 PM. If someone shows up unapproved or outside their slot, they’re not getting in.
Audit Trail: The system timestamps each code use. If a prospect were to leave a door unlocked or an AC running, you know who was last in the home. In the exceedingly rare event of damage or theft, this audit trail makes it easy to hold the responsible party accountable (and deter bad behavior – people know they’ve been ID’d and logged)[28].
Remote Lock/Unlock: Some smart lock setups even allow the manager to remotely unlock or relock doors. For example, if a prospect forgets to lock up, you can often secure the property from your phone, or set the smart lock to auto-lock after a short period. No more worrying if the last visitor really locked the door.
Widely Used in Orlando Rentals: From small local property managers to giant national landlords, self-showing lock tech is proven in the field. Companies like Progress Residential and Invitation Homes (which operate many Orlando single-family rentals) have used self-tour lockboxes for years[1]. Ackley Florida Property Management and other local experts also deploy these tools to give renters convenient access while safeguarding the home.
In short, smart locks and lockboxes give you the convenience of self-tours without “giving up” security. They are a foundational piece of the puzzle – but just as important is who you let in and how you screen them. That’s where advanced fraud prevention and identity verification steps come into play.
Fraud Prevention 101: Screening Self-Tour Guests Before They Enter
Technology can control the door, but you also need to control who is walking through it. This is where fraud prevention in rental showings becomes critical. The best Orlando property managers combine smart locks with rigorous prospect screening before and during a self-guided tour. The goal is to ensure that only legitimate, qualified renters gain access, and to keep out scammers or anyone with ill intent. Key techniques include:
Government ID Verification: Prospective renters must upload a valid government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, etc.) when signing up for a self-tour[29]. The name is checked and sometimes cross-referenced with the tour reservation. Property managers require this for accountability – if John Doe tours your house, you’ll have a copy of John’s ID on file. Advanced systems even scan IDs for authenticity. This discourages people from using fake identities. Someone unwilling to provide a real ID won’t be allowed to self-tour – a huge red flag. Always know who is visiting your property is rule #1[30].
Selfie + Facial Recognition: Uploading an ID is good, but how do we know the person is truly the ID owner? That’s where a selfie comes in. Many self-tour platforms ask the prospect to snap a selfie, which is then matched against the photo on their ID using facial recognition AI[31]. For example, the Showdigs platform runs a biometric scan to confirm the face matches the ID[31]. Rently’s Verified Renter process similarly uses a selfie and facial biometric screening to ensure the person isn’t impersonating someone else[32][33]. This effectively eliminates the risk of stolen IDs being used. Only the real driver’s license holder can get through this step.
Credit Card or Payment Method Validation: Often, prospects must put a credit/debit card on file or pay a small fee (like \$0.99) to verify their identity and intent. The platform may do a small charge or simply hold the number as an extra identity checkpoint[34]. Requiring a valid card adds another layer of traceability – scammers are less likely to use a traceable payment, and if any damage were to occur, the landlord could have the option to charge a penalty. More importantly, having a card on file shows the prospect is serious (casual tire-kickers or fraudsters usually won’t go that far). Some services even perform a soft credit pull or SSN verification as part of identity screening (Rently, for instance, can validate SSN info through TransUnion in real-time)[30][35]. These financial verifications dramatically reduce fake identities getting through.
Geofencing & Phone Verification: A clever safety measure is location verification – the system will only issue the entry code when the prospect’s smartphone GPS shows they are physically near the property. This prevents someone from, say, sitting in another state and trying to brute-force a code or share it. Rently and SmartRent both use location checks: once ID is verified, the prospect must check-in on their phone at the property to get the final unlock code[25]. Additionally, the phone number itself is verified via text code, and often only one account is allowed per phone number. This geofence approach ensures the person at your door is the verified individual who went through the steps – not an unknown accomplice. It also means no code sits out there unused; if the person doesn’t show up at the house, they never get the key code in the first place.
Pre-Screening Questions: Many property managers include a brief questionnaire during the tour sign-up to screen for serious renters and red flags. These might include basic qualification questions (“Do you meet our income requirement of 3x rent? Any prior evictions?”) or even asking “How did you hear about this listing?”[36]. The latter question helps sniff out scammers – e.g. if someone found the home via a suspicious Craigslist ad (when you only advertised on your official site), they might be an unwitting victim of a fake listing scam. Pre-screening questions can also educate renters: platforms often remind prospects that no legitimate landlord will ever ask them to wire money or do anything odd, thereby preventing rental scams from occurring during the self-tour process[37]. All of this means that by the time a person is approved to get a code, they’ve essentially passed an initial vetting similar to what an agent might do on the phone.
Scam Pattern Monitoring: Beyond vetting each individual, some advanced systems (like Rently’s) run AI pattern recognition in the background to catch suspicious behavior across many tour requests[38]. For example, if the same ID was used by two different people, or if an account is exhibiting behavior matching known fraudsters, the system can flag and block them automatically[38]. Rently even monitors for fake rental listings of its clients’ properties on other platforms[39]. This protects owners from having their vacant home “copied” into a scam listing. Essentially, the technology is working behind the scenes to stay one step ahead of scam artists and shut them out before they ever get a foot in the door.
When you combine all these measures – ID + selfie verification, credit card/SSN checks, geofenced one-time codes, pre-screening, and AI fraud detection – the result is a very secure process. Only legitimate, qualified prospects gain access, and they know you know who they are. This dramatically reduces the chances of any damage or foul play. In fact, real-world data backs this up: out of 1.64 million self-guided tours tracked in one study, only 0.22% reported any instance of minor vandalism, damage, or squatters – that’s less than 1 in 450 tours having any issue at all[40][41]. And those few cases were typically caught and handled swiftly. By and large, self-guided rental tours have proven to be extremely safe when proper screening is in place. Prospects appreciate the easy, no-pressure viewing experience, and owners can rest easy knowing that strangers aren’t really strangers – they’re verified visitors on a short leash.
Self-Tours Done Right: How Ackley Florida Property Management Leads by Example
A great way to see the power of these tools is to look at how a professional property manager puts them into practice. Ackley Florida Property Management, for instance, has embraced self-guided tours in the Orlando and Central Florida market, but with a meticulous approach to security. Our process ensures that self-tours are convenient for renters AND safe for owners:
Thorough Verification Before Entry: At Ackley, no one steps into your home without passing our checks. Prospective tenants must first register through our self-tour system (via their smartphone or computer), providing a valid ID and a selfie for verification. We cross-verify identity details and require a credit card on file to weed out any bad actors. If anything doesn’t add up – say the photo ID is unclear or the person refuses the verification – the tour is declined. This mirrors the best practices we’ve discussed (and indeed we utilize top-tier tools like those mentioned). By requiring these steps, we ensure we always know exactly who is entering your property[30]. This gives our owners peace of mind.
Smart Lockboxes on-site with One-Time Codes: We equip our vacant rental homes with secure digital lockboxes (for example, CodeBox units integrated with our system). Once a prospect is approved and schedules a tour, they receive a one-time code that will open that lockbox only at the appointed time[18]. If their schedule changes, no problem – the code won’t work outside the set window and can be regenerated for a new time. The beauty is that prospects can schedule a viewing instantly online, even for the same day. We’ve had cases where a quality tenant sees the listing and is touring the home within hours, thanks to self-showing – while in a traditional setup they might have waited days for an appointment. This speed often leads to homes renting faster, with applicants impressed by the convenience.
Geolocation and Real-Time Monitoring: On the day of the tour, the prospect has to check in via our app when they arrive at the property, triggering the code release. Our team gets notified of the tour activity in real time. That means if someone were to not show up or if there were any issue with lockbox access, we know immediately. The system also logs when the visitor opens the box and locks up again, so we have a digital trail. In many cases, we’ll also do a quick remote check after the scheduled time – for instance, a staff member might swing by later that day or the next morning to ensure everything is in order (and often to collect the lockbox if the home got rented that day!). This added human follow-up, combined with the digital logs, keeps the process tight.
Preventing and Handling the Rare Issue: Thanks to these precautions, problems are exceedingly rare. In the vast majority of self-tours, nothing is amiss – the prospect views the house and leaves it exactly as found, often even leaving lights on as instructed and securing all doors. On the very uncommon occasion someone forgets to lock a door or reports a minor issue, our team addresses it immediately (we can remotely lock many of our smart locks, or a nearby agent will respond). To date, Ackley Florida has not experienced any theft or vandalism resulting from a self-guided tour – a record we’re proud of and intent on keeping. Industry data shows fewer than 1% of self-tours have any security incident[40], and our experience aligns with that. Should anything ever happen, our documentation and insurance protections have our owners covered[11]. We also maintain property insurance and liability coverage as a safety net, but it’s reassuring to know how unlikely it is to need it.
Fast, High-Quality Placements: Our careful use of self-tours actually enhances our tenant screening outcomes. By making it easy for serious renters to see the home quickly, we capture great applicants before they move on to other options. Combined with our rigorous tenant screening process after the application, this leads to high-quality tenants. (It’s one reason why 98% of Ackley’s placed tenants pay rent on time, far above the norm – thorough screening from tour to signing is key.) Self-tours are not a way to cut corners on screening – they are a way to increase the funnel of qualified prospects that we then thoroughly vet. The end result: fewer days on market and reliable tenants who appreciate the modern convenience we offered them from the start.
By following these practices, Ackley Florida demonstrates that self-guided tours can be done right. The combination of smart lock technology and diligent fraud screening means owners get the best of both worlds: a faster leasing process and a securely protected property. We treat your home as if it were our own, leveraging every tool available to prevent the nightmares landlords worry about.
Conclusion: Embracing Self-Guided Tours with Confidence
In the evolving world of Orlando property management, self-guided rental tours have proven to be a game-changer. When implemented with smart locks and robust fraud prevention, self-tours do not backfire – they succeed. They fill vacancies faster, extend your reach to more renters, and save valuable time for everyone involved. Renters love the flexibility of touring homes on their own schedule, and owners love that their property is getting shown to all interested parties (not just the few who could make a 3 PM Wednesday appointment).
Of course, the key is doing it the right way. This means partnering with a property manager who uses the latest technology (smart lockboxes, smart home devices) and adheres to strict verification protocols to screen visitors. As we’ve outlined – requiring ID and selfie verification, using one-time access codes, monitoring tours in real time, and layering in tools to detect fraud – these practices make self-guided tours as secure as traditional showings, if not more so[26]. And with data showing vanishingly low incident rates for self-tours[40], owners can feel reassured that the “what ifs” are largely under control.
If you’re an Orlando or Central Florida rental homeowner, it’s normal to be cautious about new processes like self-showings. But hopefully this guide has shown that with smart locks and smart procedures, self-tours are not a liability – they’re an asset. They represent the future of convenient, efficient leasing. Ackley Florida Property Management and other forward-thinking firms are already using these methods to deliver great results for owners: quicker rentals, carefully screened tenants, and no horror stories.
In the end, the goal is to get your property rented swiftly and securely. Self-guided tours, backed by technology and trust, are a proven way to do exactly that. Self-tours don’t backfire when you have the right safeguards in place – instead, they pay off with lower vacancy time and happy, qualified tenants. As an owner, you can embrace this modern approach with confidence, knowing your property manager has you (and your home) covered every step of the way. Here’s to leasing smarter and safer with the power of smart locks and fraud screens!
Sources:
Ackley Florida Property Management Blog – “5 Mistakes to Avoid When Self-Managing Your Orlando Rental Home” (2025) – Orlando rental management insights[42].
Rently Blog – “Rently & CodeBox Integration: BYOB to Self-Guided Tours” (Oct 2024) – Stats on self-tour popularity and security measures[4][26].
Rently Blog – “How to Protect Your Rentals from Scams: What the Data Tells Us” (Jul 2025) – Self-guided tour fraud prevention data and best practices[40][30].
Showdigs Blog – “Self-Showings: AI Meets Human-Powered Security” (Oct 2024) – Explanation of self-tour safety features (one-time codes, ID checks)[31][18].
The Listing Real Estate Mgmt Blog – “Self-Showing Lockbox vs. Agent Showings” (Jul 2021) – Pros and cons of self-guided tours vs in-person in the Orlando rental market[2][8].
SmartRent – Self-Guided Tours solution page – Features of SmartRent’s self-tour system (ID verification, location check, automated codes)[43][25].
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