You may have heard about a recent rental scam in the suburbs where con artists were illegally entering homes being advertised for rent. These individuals gained access to the rentals through the illegal and unauthorized use of lockboxes. If your clients were made aware of this story, they may be cautious about allowing you to place a lockbox on their home. The following are some talking points which may help you should you get questioned on the safety of lockbox usage:
- CAR offers Sentrilock products to its members. Sentrilock is a much safer product than the lockboxes which were illegally accessed in the story. Sentrilock tracks all activity for the property, where other boxes do not.
- Sentrilock is accessed through the use of an assigned key card, a code given specifically for one broker to gain access or a secure mobile application. Again, all activity of those accessing the box is recorded for any necessary follow up or audits should an incident arise.
- The access codes are issued through a very secure process that requires the REALTOR® to request the code through the listing broker’s office or through their showing service.
- Working with a REALTOR® affords home buyers and sellers the security that they are working with a licensed professional who follows ethical and professional standards. The news report recommended that one way to avoid this type of scam is to work with a REALTOR®.
- CAR members adhere to a strict Code of Ethics. It is this Code of Ethics which sets our members apart from non-REALTOR® licensees. The term REALTOR® has come to connote competency, fairness, and high integrity resulting from adherence to a high ideal of moral conduct in business relations.
Should you or a client become aware of the unauthorized use of a Sentrilock, you may file a complaint against that REALTOR® for a Code of Ethics violation here or via an Ethics Citation complaint here.
For additional information on obtaining a Sentrilock or on Sentrilock safety, click here.
Please contact our Professional Standards Team at professionalstandards@chicagorealtor.com with any questions relating to lockbox safety or about Professional Standards in general.