Yale, part of Fortune Brands Innovations, has integrated its smart access solutions with Yardi to bring digital key functionality to the RentCafe Resident App, allowing residents to unlock their homes and community spaces using their smartphones.

The integration enables residents to manage access through the same app they already use to pay rent, submit work orders and handle other aspects of resident life. It also aims to simplify access management for multifamily property teams.

With annual resident turnover averaging approximately 50% across multifamily portfolios, digital access solutions such as RentCafe Digital Key can help address common challenges associated with lost keys, rekeying and trips to the leasing office.

“As multifamily operators continue investing in connected technologies, they're looking for solutions that simplify operations while making the resident experience easier,” said John McGuire, senior vice president at Fortune Brands Innovations. “Digital access can remove friction on both sides of the rental experience, giving residents a simple way to access their homes and community spaces while helping property teams reduce manual access management. By connecting Yale smart access solutions with Yardi workflows, we're making it easier for more communities to bring these benefits to residents and staff.”

The integration connects Yale smart access solutions with Yardi workflows to automate digital key delivery and recovery using data from Voyager and CRM IQ. Residents can unlock their units with a digital key on their phones through the RentCafe Resident App without needing a physical fob or visiting the leasing office.

Property teams can also manage access digitally throughout the resident lifecycle, reducing manual coordination for residents, vendors, maintenance teams and property tours.

The integration includes automated updates to access permissions based on lease start and end dates, as well as limited-time access for vendors and maintenance teams to support faster unit turnover. The technology requires no hub or Wi-Fi connection, helping reduce installation complexity and making it easier for property owners and operators to expand smart access across communities, unit types and properties with limited infrastructure.

Residents can use the app to access amenity spaces, common areas, package rooms and other connected spaces, reducing reliance on multiple keys, fobs and access systems.

“Building a seamless renter experience means removing friction from every interaction, including how residents access their homes,” said Matt Seasholls, industry principal at Yardi. “By bringing digital access into the RentCafe Resident App and connecting it with leasing, maintenance and resident workflows, we’re giving renters one simple experience while helping operators manage access without adding another disconnected system.”

The Yale integrations are now available within the RentCafe Resident App, providing property teams with a digital access option intended to simplify operations and help reduce costs while offering residents a more convenient way to access their communities.