Short-Term Rental Smart Lock ROI Calculator
Calculate labor savings, lockout costs, and payback period for your Airbnb/VRBO smart lock investment
2025 STR Industry Reality
Average STR: 12 bookings/month, 25min key handoff = 50 hours/year wasted. Lockouts: 2-3/year @ $125-175 each (emergency locksmith + guest comp). Lost keys: 1-2/year @ $175 rekeying. Smart locks eliminate 90% of these costs with 3-8 month payback typical. Data: AirDNA 2025, Mashvisor STR Benchmark Report.
Your STR Portfolio
Travel + coordination for problem check-ins (~35% of bookings need human intervention). Most use self-check-in.
Industry avg: 0.5-1 lockouts/year (AirDNA 2025 data)
Requires full lock rekeying ($175 avg)
Industry avg: $25-35/hr (2025 data)
Annual ROI Summary
Hardware ($220) + Installation ($150/lock)
Time Saved: 11 hours/year
Check-ins Automated: 120/year
Tip: Excellent payback! Strong case for immediate implementation.
Recommended: Be-Tech
STR OptimizedBe-Tech locks are ideal for high-turnover STR properties: remote management, temporary codes, activity logs, and 12+ month battery life reduce operational overhead. Compatible with major PMS systems (Guesty, Hostaway, Hospitable).
Visit Official Website →STR Smart Lock Cost-Benefit Analysis
Industry Data: 2025Quantifiable Savings
- Labor Elimination: Average 50 hours/year @ $30/hr = $1,500 savings for 5-property portfolio. No more coordinating key handoffs, late-night check-ins, or physical key management.
- Lockout Prevention: $125-175/incident (emergency locksmith $75-100 + guest compensation $50-75). Industry avg: 2.3 lockouts/property/year = $287-402 saved.
- Rekeying Elimination: $175/incident (lock replacement + labor). Smart locks use temporary codes - no physical key lost = no rekeying needed.
- Guest Experience: Seamless check-in improves reviews 0.2-0.3 stars (AirDNA data). Higher rating = 15-20% booking increase = significant revenue impact.
- Operational Scalability: Manage 50 properties as easily as 5. No linear cost increase with portfolio growth (unlike physical keys).
Investment Costs
- •Hardware: $120-350/lock depending on features. Basic Wi-Fi ($120), Standard Zigbee ($220), Premium Thread ($350). One-time cost.
- •Installation: $150-200/lock for professional install (or DIY 2-3 hours). See Installation Cost Calculator for detailed breakdown.
- •Hub (if needed): $50-150 for Zigbee/Z-Wave. Wi-Fi locks require no hub. Thread requires $100-150 border router.
- •Batteries: $10-15/year (12+ months for Zigbee/Z-Wave, 3-4 months for Wi-Fi). See Battery Life Calculator.
- •PMS Integration: $0-50/month depending on property management software. Many integrate free (Guesty, Hospitable).
Typical ROI Scenarios (2025 Data)
Single Property (12 bookings/mo)
- • Hardware: $220
- • Annual Savings: $600-800
- • Payback: 3-4 months
- • Year 1 ROI: +175-265%
Small Portfolio (5 properties)
- • Hardware: $1,100
- • Annual Savings: $3,000-4,000
- • Payback: 3-5 months
- • Year 1 ROI: +180-265%
Large Portfolio (20+ properties)
- • Hardware: $4,400
- • Annual Savings: $12,000-16,000
- • Payback: 3-5 months
- • Year 1 ROI: +175-265%
Payback Timeline Comparison
Annual savings: $905 | Investment: $370
Annual savings: $4,980 | Investment: $1,590
Annual savings: $21,740 | Investment: $5,840
* Single property: 10 bookings/month, $30/hr labor, 1 lockout/year, 1 lost key/year, 15min manual check-ins (~35% need human intervention).Scale benefits: 5 properties (10% bulk discount, 20% installation savings, 10% efficiency), 20+ properties (15% bulk discount, 30% installation savings, 20% efficiency). Source: AirDNA/Mashvisor 2025 benchmarks.
Property Management System (PMS) Integration
Native Integrations
- • Guesty (full automation)
- • Hostaway (code sync)
- • Hospitable (auto-codes)
- • Lodgify (calendar sync)
- • OwnerRez (API integration)
Automatic code generation + deletion on booking lifecycle
Via Zapier/API
- • Airbnb (via Zapier)
- • VRBO/HomeAway (API)
- • Booking.com (webhook)
- • RemoteLock (middleware)
- • Custom PMS (REST API)
Requires technical setup but fully automatable
Manual Management
- • August app (30 sec/code)
- • Yale app (quick setup)
- • Schlage Home (simple)
- • Wyze app (basic)
- • Level app (HomeKit)
Still 10× faster than physical key coordination
Related Calculators
STR Industry Data Sources
Verified Nov 2025All cost and savings data derived from 2025 short-term rental industry benchmarks, operational studies, and authoritative market research
Booking & Occupancy Data
- • AirDNA Market Insights (Q3 2025): 10M+ listings, 12 bookings/month median for urban STRs, occupancy benchmarks
- • Mashvisor STR Benchmark Report (2023-2025): Annual operational metrics across 50,000+ properties
Operational Cost Data
- • Lockout Costs: $125-250/incident (HomeAdvisor 2025 Emergency Locksmith Rates). Urban: $150-250, Suburban: $100-150, Rural: $75-125. Includes locksmith ($75-150) + guest compensation ($50-100)
- • Lockout Frequency: 2-3/property/year (Mashvisor 2025 operations data)
- • Rekeying: $175 average (Home Depot locks $40-80 + HomeAdvisor labor $75-150)
- • Key Handoff Time: 25 min median (Mashvisor time-motion study, AllTheRooms operations research)
Property Manager Rates
- • Self-managed: $25-35/hr opportunity cost (Mashvisor 2025 PM Compensation Survey)
- • Professional PM: $30-50/hr (industry standard rates)
- • Calculator default: $30/hr (median residential PM rate)
Guest Experience Impact
- • Rating Improvement: +0.2-0.3 stars (AirDNA Guest Satisfaction Study 2025, 50,000+ properties before/after smart locks)
- • Booking Lift: 15-20% for properties rated 4.8+ (AirDNA Revenue Optimization Report)
- • Revenue Premium: $2/booking conservative estimate (0.2 star × $10-25 ADR increase × 20% check-in attribution)
PMS Integration Verification
- • Native: Guesty, Hostaway, Hospitable (official partnership pages, marketplace listings)
- • API/Zapier: Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com (developer documentation 2025)
- • Hardware: August, Yale, Schlage (manufacturer integration specs)
Note: ROI varies by property location, turnover rate, and management style. Values represent industry averages. Urban high-turnover properties (15+ bookings/month) typically see 2-3 month payback. Rural low-turnover (3-5 bookings/month) may see 8-12 month payback.
Calculator last updated: November 24, 2025 | Next review: May 2026