Best Smart Locks for Renters: No-Drill Picks That Keep Your Landlord's Key

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Gen) is the top choice for renters because it is a genuine retrofit. It mounts to the inside of the door and turns the existing deadbolt from the inside, so nothing about the exterior changes: the landlord's cylinder stays in place and every key that worked before still works. Removing it at the end of a lease means unscrewing the mounting plate and putting the original thumb turn back on.

This fourth-generation model is where August moved Wi-Fi inside the lock itself. Earlier August locks needed the separate August Connect plug-in bridge for remote access, and the older Smart Lock Pro was the model with Z-Wave. Neither applies here: this one connects straight to your 2.4 GHz network out of the box, and the older accessories are not required. It runs on three AA batteries, typically three to six months depending on how often auto-lock and auto-unlock fire.

Owner feedback commonly praises the simple setup and reliable app control, with the most frequent complaint being the size of the interior housing on narrow door stiles. Guest access scheduling in the August app is straightforward, which matters if you share a rental or hand access to a cleaner.

The Wyze Lock Bolt is worth knowing about, but it is not the retrofit lock it is often assumed to be. Wyze made two very different products: the older Wyze Lock, a discontinued retrofit that sat over the interior thumb turn and used the Wyze Lock Gateway for remote access, and the Wyze Lock Bolt, which is a completely different keyless fingerprint deadbolt. The Lock Bolt is the one still sold, and it replaces the whole deadbolt, cylinder included.

That has two consequences for a renter. First, your landlord's key no longer opens the door, so this is a swap you need permission for and one you will have to reverse before you hand the keys back. Second, there is no keyhole on the Lock Bolt, so the only ways in are a fingerprint or a keypad code. If the batteries die and you have not kept spares, you have no mechanical fallback.

Set those limits aside and it is a lot of hardware for the money. The fingerprint reader is quick, codes can be shared with guests, and it does not need Wi-Fi or a hub because it does not offer remote access in the first place. There is no bridge accessory that adds Wi-Fi to the Lock Bolt, so plan on it being a local, at-the-door lock.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 (Touch) is the pick if you want to share codes rather than keys. The touchscreen wakes on contact and the exterior is noticeably slimmer than most keypad deadbolts. Be clear on what it is, though: it replaces the entire deadbolt, so this needs landlord sign-off, and the Touch variant in this range is the key-free one. There is no cylinder and no emergency keyhole, so if that matters, choose the keyed keypad version of the Assure Lock 2 instead.

Connectivity works on a module system. In its base form the lock talks Bluetooth to the Yale Access app for at-the-door control and code management. Adding the Yale Connect Wi-Fi Bridge module is what unlocks remote access and voice control through Apple Home, Alexa or Google, and that module is a separate purchase. Budget for it if remote unlocking is part of why you are buying.

Owner feedback tends to focus on the solid feel of the hardware and a keypad that stays readable in daylight. Installation is a standard deadbolt swap with a screwdriver, so it is not difficult, just not reversible in the way the August is.

The Schlage Encode Plus is the pick for an Apple household. Its headline feature is Apple Home Key: you hold an iPhone or Apple Watch near the keypad and it unlocks over NFC, no app and no unlocking your phone first. Wi-Fi is built into the lock, so remote access and notifications work without buying a bridge, which is a real cost saving compared with the Yale.

It is designed first around Apple Home. Alexa and Google support runs through the Schlage Home app rather than being the native path, so if you are an Alexa or Google household the standard Schlage Encode is usually the more sensible buy. Note also that the Encode Plus does not have the built-in siren found on the older Schlage Connect, so do not buy it expecting an alarm.

For renters the catch is the same as the Yale: this replaces the whole deadbolt, cylinder included, so the landlord's key stops working and you need permission plus a plan to refit the original lock later. Keep the original deadbolt and its screws somewhere safe on day one.

The Level Lock+ is the most discreet option here because all of the electronics and the motor live inside the bolt itself, hidden in the door. From either side it looks like an ordinary deadbolt: no keypad, no battery pack on the interior. It also supports Apple Home Key, so an iPhone or Apple Watch tap on the exterior trim unlocks it.

One point is often reported incorrectly, so be clear on it. The Level Lock+ is a complete deadbolt: it ships with its own exterior and interior trim and its own keyed cylinder, and installing it means removing the existing lock. It does not keep your landlord's key. The Level product that does slot behind existing hardware is the separate Level Bolt, which swaps only the bolt mechanism and leaves the original cylinder, keys and trim in place. If invisibility plus keeping the landlord's key is the goal, that is the model to research rather than the Lock+.

Power comes from a single CR2 lithium cell rather than AAs, so buy a spare when you buy the lock. Remote access needs the Level Connect bridge, which is another separate purchase on top of an already expensive lock.