Key box self check-in with automatic access codes
A key box with a combination code is the most common answer for hosts who cannot be there for every arrival: the guest turns up at 11pm, enters four digits and takes the keys. The tricky part is not the box, it is the code: who gets it, when, and after you have checked what. This guide brings together the record-keeping rules and a practical way to send codes without risk and without doing it by hand.
- In the UK you must still record the name and nationality of guests aged 16 or over, even with no one at the door.
- Self check-in that holds up is verified: details before arrival, a check by you, then the code.
- The code belongs in a message on the day of arrival, not in the booking confirmation.
- A key safe on a front wall may need the freeholder's, landlord's or council's agreement.
What the rules ask for when nobody meets the guest
In the UK, the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 applies to any premises that provide sleeping accommodation for reward. You must record the full name and nationality of every guest aged 16 or over when they arrive, take further details from some foreign guests, and keep the records for at least 12 months. A key box does not change any of that: you still need each guest's details, and it is sensible to see their ID, for example through a photo sent before the stay that you compare with the booking.
In Scotland, short-term lets also need a licence from the council, and licence conditions can include requirements on safety and on how guests access the property. In Ireland, check the current rules on recording guests and the new Short-Term Tourist Letting Register.
Where the key box can go
A key safe on an outside wall is often an alteration to the building. In a leasehold flat you will usually need the freeholder's or managing agent's consent; in a rented property, the landlord's; on a listed building or in a conservation area, listed building consent or planning permission may be needed. Check your insurance too: some policies have conditions about key safes and about what happens after a break-in using one.
The method: check first, hand over second
- Online check-in a few days before arrival: the guest enters their details and, if you ask, uploads a photo of their ID.
- Your check: you compare details and ID with the booking, and call if something looks wrong.
- Approval: only now is the guest cleared to receive the code.
- Sending on the day: the code arrives on the morning of check-in, not weeks before.
- Changing the code regularly, and telling anyone who already has the old one and has not yet left.
Done by hand, this method is fragile: one message sent too early, to the wrong guest or with the old code is enough. That is exactly the part worth automating. For the other messages around the stay, see our guest message templates.
How Vezpa does it
Since 15 October 2026 Vezpa manages access devices: the key boxes and code locks of your rooms and properties.
1. You add your devices
In Configuration, under Rooms, you will find "Access devices". For each one you enter a name (for example "Box 6"), a description, the code and the rooms it serves. One key box can serve several rooms, and one room can have several devices, such as the key box and the front door. The code is stored encrypted. Devices are currently of the "Offline (fixed code)" type: you set the code yourself, and internet-connected smart locks are not yet integrated.
2. The guest completes online check-in
The check-in link is protected by a PIN that travels with the link. You can make the ID photo optional or required; photos are stored encrypted and deleted seven days after departure. The details go into the guest register, which you can export for any period.
3. You approve the check-in
In the booking, the "Keys" card shows where things stand. When the guest has completed online check-in, the "Approve check-in" button appears. It is not the arrival check-in: you can approve days in advance. If you record the arrival check-in from the booking instead, that counts as approval too.
4. The code goes out on its own
The "Access codes" automation sends the message with the access code field:
- only for bookings with an approved check-in; before that the field stays empty, even in other messages;
- on arrival day at the time you choose (8:00 by default); if you approve later that day, it goes out straight away;
- once per booking; with several devices the guest reads, for example, "Box 6: 1123, Front door: 9876";
- in the guest's language; for bookings from a portal with a relay email address, the message lands in the portal's chat.
Like the other preset automations, it starts switched off with the text already written: you turn it on once your devices are set up.
5. Change the code without leaving anyone out
The code is not copied into bookings: it is read from the device when the message is sent, so anyone who gets the message after a change receives the new code. When you save a different code, Vezpa tells you how many guests with a current or future stay have already received the old one, so you can let them know.
Online check-in and automations are included in every plan, from Smart at £36 a month including VAT.
Check-in approved, code on its way
Access devices per room, online check-in with a PIN, approval from the booking and the code sent on arrival day. Open the demo in your browser.
Try it in your browser →Frequently asked questions
- Is key box self check-in allowed in the UK?
- There is no law against key boxes. You still have to keep guest records under the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972, and fitting a key safe to a building may need the consent of the freeholder, the landlord or the council. In Scotland, check your short-term let licence conditions.
- When should I send the key box code?
- On the day of arrival, and only after you have checked the guest's details. Sending it with the booking confirmation hands it over weeks in advance to someone whose identity you have not checked yet, possibly before a code change.
- What happens if I change the code in Vezpa?
- All later messages use the new code straight away, because it is read from the device when the message is sent. When you save, Vezpa shows how many guests with a current or future stay already received the old code.
- Does Vezpa connect to smart locks?
- Not today. Access devices are of the offline type, with a fixed code you enter yourself, like mechanical key boxes and code locks. Other device types are planned, but connected smart locks are not yet integrated.
Sources and caveats. The Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972; Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 for Scottish licensing. This is not legal advice; check with your council. Vezpa features as of October 2026.