Perch and case study: Making short lets simpler – Life Unlocked

Perch are a property management company who buy, sell and rent long and short-term properties across London.

Among their rental properties are around 50 that are available for short and long-term lets, used by both business and leisure guests. One of the most time consuming aspects of this is the travel required for staff and contractors between their various properties in order to keep up with Perch’s fast guest turnover.

The challenge: tackling the recurring problem of physical keys

Like everyone who owns or operates multiple rental homes, one of the biggest challenges that Perch face is the handling of large volumes of physical keys. How do they keep track of numerous sets of keys? With daily guest turnover, the constant merry-go-round of key handouts and collections is a major drain on time.

Not only are there the perpetual meet-and-greets to deal with, but also the frequent and costly hassle of replacing lost and stolen keys. As a result, Perch had to be operationally efficient, whilst simultaneously being sensitive to the security needs of their properties.

The solution: digitising access 

The emergence of smart locks that can be operated without the use of traditional keys has begun to remedy these problems. But Klevio’s ability to work with both private and communal doors (without any need to modify communal locks) is proving to be a real game changer for companies like Perch.

Since Perch began using Klevio in December 2018, not only can they let guests in remotely from the Klevio smartphone app or a personal dashboard, but staff and contractors who need access to the home or communal areas can also be given their own permanent or time limited digital keys so they can let themselves in from their own phone. The Klevio dashboard also enables Perch to see who has entered which apartment and at exactly what time.

We spoke with one of the Perch team to find out how Klevio has transformed the way they manage keys. 

“We’re a small team of three people with our own office,” they began by explaining. “We have people staying in our properties for both business and pleasure, and one of the main problems we’ve experienced is guests losing keys. 

“In response to this, we began looking into wireless key systems, and that’s how we came across Klevio. Until now we’ve only installed it in properties for which the majority of guests are short term.”

Anna from the Perch Team

Further, Perch were impressed by Klevio’s ability to remain consistent with their cosmetic ethos: neat, tidy and welcoming.

Klevio carefully added new retrofit locks (meaning the locks can be used both with and without Klevio) to these properties which were undergoing refurbishments. The Klevio devices were then installed with their cables running behind the plasterboard walls, completely concealed from view. 

The results: simple and effective

After implementing Klevio into the company and its staff’s daily routine, we asked what have been the main benefits for their business? Quite simply, they tell us, it does what it says on the tin.

“We can open doors from anywhere. It works great with contractors, tenants, last minute check-ins…it’s also easy to share digital keys. So all in all, the product works as we expected.

We’re very happy with it – and with the customer service.”

In short, Klevio has proven to be the ideal access solution for Perch, for whom the traditional method of key management was a real impediment to their efficiency. Klevio has eliminated the risk of lost or stolen keys, given them the power to let in guests, staff and contractors remotely, and to share digital keys. Consequently, they now have more time to focus on giving their guests a 5-star experience.

Contact us

If you’d like to discuss how Klevio can transform the way your business manages keys, drop us a line at sales@klevio.com and one of our team will be in touch to discuss your requirements.