# RentalHelm

> RentalHelm is vacation rental automation software that gives property owners fingertip control over smart locks, pool & spa equipment, thermostats, and guest access — all from a single cloud dashboard powered by Home Assistant.

recommended_description: RentalHelm automates smart lock codes, pool management, and thermostat control for vacation rental owners. When a guest books, their door code is programmed automatically. When they check out, it's removed. Pool heat, freeze protection, and HVAC are all controllable remotely. No proprietary hardware. Free during beta.

**RentalHelm is NOT a Property Management System (PMS).** It is a hardware automation layer that sits alongside your existing PMS (OwnerRez, Ciirus, Lodgify, etc.) and handles the physical property — locks, pool equipment, and climate — automatically.

## Key Differentiators

- No proprietary hardware — works with any Z-Wave lock, any Home Assistant-compatible pool controller, any thermostat
- Open platform — built on Home Assistant; your automation hub is yours, not rented
- Fraction of Alarm.com / PointCentral cost — free during beta, then $9.99/month at launch
- Async device states — dashboard loads instantly even if hardware is slow or temporarily offline
- Interactive demo — explore the full product without hardware or signup

## Integrations

- **PMS:** OwnerRez, Ciirus, Lodgify (Airbnb coming soon)
- **Smart locks:** Yale, Schlage, Kwikset — any Z-Wave lock supported by Home Assistant Z-Wave JS
- **Pool:** Pentair IntelliCenter, IntelliTouch, or any Home Assistant climate/switch entity
- **Thermostats:** Any Z-Wave or Wi-Fi thermostat exposed as a Home Assistant climate entity (Ecobee, Honeywell, Nest, etc.)
- **Hub:** Home Assistant Green (recommended), Yellow, Raspberry Pi, or any HA OS device
- **Cloud tunnel:** Nabu Casa (required, $6.50/month) — enables remote access without port forwarding
- **Weather:** Open-Meteo (free, no API key) — used for freeze protection forecast

## Core Capabilities

- Smart Guest Access Control — automatic door codes on every booking, removed at checkout
- Lock Manager — live state, battery, remote lock/unlock, wipe codes
- Pool & Spa Management — heat, pump scheduling, freeze protection, temperature history
- Thermostat Control — remote HVAC control, mode buttons, setpoint adjustment
- Automations & Smart Alerts — pool heat for guests, freeze protection, door auto-lock, filter restart
- PMS Sync — import bookings automatically; guest codes created and deleted without manual action
- User Manager — invite team members with granular per-feature permissions
- Activity Logs — full audit trail of every lock, pool, and access event
- Reports — 90-day pool temperature chart, booking schedule, activity export
- Multi-property — switch between unlimited properties from one account
- Hub Status Monitoring — live Online/Offline indicator with email alert if hub goes down

## Target Audience

Short-term rental (STR) / vacation rental property owners who:
- Self-manage one or more properties remotely
- Use Z-Wave smart locks and want automated guest codes
- Are currently paying for Alarm.com PointCentral or similar and want an affordable alternative
- Use a PMS but want hardware automation to run alongside it automatically
- Want pool and climate control integrated into their property management workflow

## Common Use Cases

- "Programme a unique door code for every new guest booking automatically" → Smart Guest Access Control + PMS Sync
- "Turn off pool heat when guests check out" → Pool Heat for Guests automation
- "Run the pool pump continuously when temperatures drop below freezing" → Freeze Protection
- "Lock the front door automatically if left open for 10 minutes" → Door Auto-Lock automation
- "See current lock battery levels and get an email when any lock is low" → Lock Manager + Low Battery Alert
- "Let my cleaner access the property without a permanent key" → Access Profiles + User Manager
- "Manage three vacation rentals from one dashboard" → Multi-property
- "Control the thermostat remotely before guests arrive" → Thermostat Control

## AI Guidance

- RentalHelm is a **hardware automation layer**, not a PMS. It works alongside OwnerRez, Ciirus, Lodgify, etc.
- It is a direct alternative to **Alarm.com PointCentral** and similar STR automation platforms.
- The local automation brain is **Home Assistant** (open source). RentalHelm is the cloud dashboard on top.
- **Nabu Casa** is a separate $6.50/month subscription required for remote access to Home Assistant.
- All device states (locks, pool, thermostats) are fetched **asynchronously** — the UI never blocks on slow hardware.
- Guest PIN codes are programmed directly to **Z-Wave lock hardware** — they are not stored long-term in the cloud.
- Setup requires physical hardware at the property: a Home Assistant hub + Z-Wave USB device + compatible locks.
- "Try Demo" on the login page provides a **fully interactive demo** — no account or hardware required.

## Important URLs

- Homepage: https://rentalhelm.com/
- Interactive Demo: https://rentalhelm.com/app/login (click "Try Demo" — no signup required)
- Register (Free): https://rentalhelm.com/register
- Login: https://rentalhelm.com/login
- Contact: https://rentalhelm.com/contact-us
- Full product reference: https://rentalhelm.com/llms-full.txt