Leasing & Showings

A self-service showing lets a pre-screened prospect tour a vacant property on their own, without an agent meeting them there. With a service like Rently, the prospect first verifies their identity — typically by submitting a photo ID, taking a selfie to match against it, and putting a small charge (around 99 cents) on a credit card. If the ID and selfie match and the charge clears, the system issues a one-time access code that opens the property's lockbox or smart lock for that visit.

The practical payoff is access and speed. Tours can happen on the prospect's schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays when a staffed showing wouldn't be possible, so a well-priced vacancy gets in front of more qualified people faster. The identity-verification step creates a record of exactly who entered and when, which is part of what makes the convenience workable for owners rather than just renters.

For most vacant rentals, yes — the safeguards are built into how the showings work. Before anyone gets an access code, they have to verify their identity with a photo ID, a matching selfie, and a credit card, which screens out anonymous foot traffic and creates a record of exactly who entered and when. Providers that run these systems at national scale report a very low incidence of damage or theft across millions of self-guided tours.

It isn't risk-free, and a few common-sense steps lower the exposure further: show vacant units rather than occupied ones, remove or secure anything of value, and use a system that logs each entry. Many prospects actually prefer touring without a salesperson hovering, so for a well-priced vacancy the faster, lower-pressure access often helps it rent sooner — which is its own kind of protection, since the biggest cost of a vacancy is the days it sits empty.