Cheating Agent - of the holiday letting variety

[NotAllThere]

...Now I'm not a violent man...

Neither is Cojak.

[d000hg]

Thing with keys they can be copied for £3 without any paperwork. so tenants can pop down to B&Q get keys copied and come back & stay with impunity having phoned up & asked availability without booking.

Something with an electronic key is a little more difficult.

I think you can get keys which are very hard/expensive to copy - or say "DO NOT COPY" so no reputable person will do it? Of course, that just makes it harder not impossible.

[clearedforlanding]

I like the idea of this. Problem is we have a shared front door (with intercom) and then our own front door. Do you know if there is any smart lock product that would interface with the intercom system (depends on the intercom i suppose). I'd prefer not to have to negotiate with the other flat owners for replacing the shared door lock/intercom system.

Sure. Google x10 home automation protocol and you can interface with & automate pretty much anything.

This became a very expensive hobby for me 12 years ago.

*don't put your main lock on x10 unless you really know what you are doing. It is not secure unless you really know what you are doing. It is secure enough for a shared front door however.

**You just need to close/open the circuit that activates the door unlocking servo/electromagnet so you could get creative with ardino if you don't fancy an off the shelf x10 module.

[vetran]

I like the idea of this. Problem is we have a shared front door (with intercom) and then our own front door. Do you know if there is any smart lock product that would interface with the intercom system (depends on the intercom i suppose). I'd prefer not to have to negotiate with the other flat owners for replacing the shared door lock/intercom system.

no reason why they can't share a yale key for the front door. You are only interested in monitoring your flat.

Is the front door keycard, could you get a report from the building manager? If the keycard is used to go out at 9am and come back at 10pm then its pretty obvious its not the agent showing people round

[clearedforlanding]

no reason why they can't share a yale key for the front door. You are only interested in monitoring your flat.

Is the front door keycard, could you get a report from the building manager? If the keycard is used to go out at 9am and come back at 10pm then its pretty obvious its not the agent showing people round

For £150-£190 total investment, I would prefer to be to permit, revoke, monitor & audit from my phone.

[vetran]

For £150-£190 total investment, I would prefer to be to permit, revoke, monitor & audit from my phone.

indeed but the shared door is not owned by them.

fit one on the flat door, have a key for the shared one.

[deebeegee]

this seems to be what i need right now, only it's not available yet

http://www.getmonkeynow.com/

it's a given that we are not going to continue with this agent but the experience has raised so many issues that classic keys clearly are no longer up to the task. with smart keys on the flat door and a monkey (or similar) interface for the intercom we can welcome guests from anywhere in the world, happy in the knowledge that we can revoke their access as soon as their stay is over. Got a troublesome cleaner? access revoked. Got to get a new cleaner in a hurry? Access granted. etc etc

[seanraaron]

Thing with keys they can be copied for £3 without any paperwork. so tenants can pop down to B&Q get keys copied and come back & stay with impunity having phoned up & asked availability without booking.

Something with an electronic key is a little more difficult.

Given this possibility, it may be the agency is also being taken? For all you (OP) know these people were there before and just got a free booking out if it. Agency should still be dumped if so for not ensuring the security of the property, but I wouldn't go in heavy just in case they're not actually defrauding you.

[clearedforlanding]

indeed but the shared door is not owned by them.

fit one on the flat door, have a key for the shared one.

2 wires are in his flat though....

[deebeegee]

Given this possibility, it may be the agency is also being taken? For all you (OP) know these people were there before and just got a free booking out if it. Agency should still be dumped if so for not ensuring the security of the property, but I wouldn't go in heavy just in case they're not actually defrauding you.

Agreed. I'm well aware that they are in a position to squeeze out of this so I'm aiming for an amicable parting of ways. Of course, once there is nothing else owed to me by them I will be seeking to pass on information about my experience to their other landlords. I don't have details for any of them so the only way to do that would be openly over the internet.