IT201900002965A1 - AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR THE CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF TEMPORARY RENTALS OF REAL ESTATE UNITS - Google Patents

Description

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR THE CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF

TEMPORARY RENTALS OF REAL ESTATE UNITS

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an automatic system for the control and management of temporary leases of real estate units, especially for short periods.

The growing success of apartment rentals for short stays, typically a maximum of a few days, is known. The capillarity of telematic connectivity and the development of websites that advertise apartments have made this type of extra-hotel hospitality widely used.

Users who use this type of hospitality are growing continuously, as are the apartments available, especially in cities of art. More and more apartment owners are choosing to relocate their apartments on the market in this way, also to solve the problems of long-term rental agreements, such as late payments, conflicts with tenants, non-release of the property, etc. .

However, temporary rentals, especially if short, involve multiple tasks such as, to name but a few, the timely reception of guests and the delivery of the apartment, the maintenance in perfect efficiency and frequent cleaning of it, the satisfaction of guests' requests. , the management of bureaucratic practices inherent to this type of contract, such as for example the communication to the authorities of the personal data of the guests and the payment of the tourist tax, the return of the apartment at the end of the lease.

The owners generally do not have time to carry out all these tasks personally, often the lease constituting a second activity, and therefore have to rely on employees or service agencies, to the detriment of profitability and safety.

In addition, the quality and timeliness of services are essential to obtain good feedback from customers and thus increase the turnover of the apartment.

Various solutions have been proposed to allow owners to carry out at least some of the tasks mentioned above remotely, that is, without having to physically go to the rented apartment.

However, these solutions are not completely satisfactory and reliable and only allow the management of some aspects of the lease.

The purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide an automatic system for the control and management of all phases of a temporary lease of a real estate unit.

Said object is achieved with a system in accordance with the attached claims.

In particular, a system according to the invention allows you to carry out all the main tasks related to the location without being physically present, managing in particular, in a completely automatic way:

- Check in and check out

- Sending documents to the police headquarters

- Payment of the tourist tax

- House manuals

- Tourist guide

- Emergency management

- Air conditioning

- Energy saving

The advantages of the invention will be evident, together with the technical characteristics, from the detailed description that follows of a preferred and non-limiting example of implementation, schematically illustrated in the attached figure 1. A system according to the present invention comprises:

- an apparatus (gateway) 10 for the management and local control of the system, said apparatus being intended for installation inside the apartment;

- a wireless keypad 12, preferably of the membrane type, equipped with memory and advantageously powered by batteries, said keypad being intended to be installed outside the apartment, typically on the entrance door or adjacent to it;

- a motorized cylinder 14, powered by batteries and operated remotely, for opening / closing the door;

- a server 16 for the management and global control of the system through a web application.

In particular, gateway 10 comprises:

- a microprocessor control unit 20;

- a unit 22 for Ethernet connection to the internet;

- a LoRa type Wireless communication unit 24;

- a unit 26 for remote control of the motorized cylinder 14.

The gateway 10 also includes at least a pair of actuators 28 for opening / closing the door where it is equipped with an electric lock instead of a motorized cylinder that can be operated remotely.

In the memory of the keypad 12, through the gateway 10, several access codes are stored - better described below - whose correct typing determines the activation of the motorized cylinder 14 by the gateway and the consequent opening of the door.

In particular, the keypad stores:

- a first access code for the use of the guest, said first code being generated by the application automatically when booking the period of stay and expiring at the end of the stay,

- at least a second code chosen by the owner, with or without expiry, for his own use or for persons authorized by him, e

- at least a third code that expires immediately after its use, eg. to allow access to the apartment in an emergency.

In a preferred embodiment of the system, the codes chosen by the owner are three in number.

A plurality of sensors 30 Wireless is advantageously provided for monitoring environmental parameters and energy consumption.

Furthermore, actuator modules 40 can be provided for the automatic management and / or application of various devices such as lights, thermostats, motorized shutters and roller shutters, irrigation systems, switching on / off household appliances.

The web application installed on the server 16 includes a user interface (portal) designed to identify a user in possession of the credentials assigned automatically by the system when booking the stay and to provide all the information prepared by the owner of the apartment in which the user booked the stay.

The credentials are managed by the server through an application module that communicates with the major booking portals, freeing the owner of the apartment from this task. Using the application, the owner enters the information he deems necessary to improve his guest's stay on the portal. The information can be enriched with images, descriptions and external links.

In addition to information, the portal also contains automatic services that facilitate the owner such as, for example, the registration by the guest of information to be communicated to the police headquarters and the payment of the tourist tax. The application also includes a module for direct door opening / closing control via the gateway.

Ultimately, a system in accordance with the invention carries out the control and management of the apartment in the absence of the owner, allowing the guest to stay comfortably without the help of other people. The system allows the guest to access the apartment, to have all the necessary information on the location and how to use all the objects and services available in the same, to take advantage of suggestions and advice on services outside the apartment. , to have at hand the useful numbers for any emergency.

The present invention also allows the owner not to have to be present at check-in and check-out, to be able to manage unique access codes for cleaners or to maintain the apartment, to manage codes that can be used only once for cases of emergency, to have personal codes. The system also:

- manages the closing of the door automatically even without the guest's intervention;

- allows you to adjust the temperature of the apartment in accordance with reservations and with the opening of the windows, closing unnecessary utilities at the time of check-out, with considerable energy savings; - it also allows you to receive alarm messages for open doors / windows, water leaks or electrical failures.

The management of the typical tasks related to the short-term rental of an apartment is described below.

1.Check-in and Check-out.

The system allows the guest to access with the use of a code to be typed instead of with the keys.

The web application module prepared for this purpose periodically checks all the reservations of the registered apartments.

For each booking received, a unique code is assigned for traceability and traceability of the operation and a random five-digit pin code is created to allow access to the apartment. The access code is sent to the email address indicated by the user during the booking process.

The email also indicates the link to the web application containing all the information created by the owner of the apartment: apartment manual, information, useful numbers, etc.

On the day of the start of the booked stay, the software system updates the gateway device in the apartment.

As soon as the keypad is turned on, it updates with the data on the gateway, and then accepts the codes established for that guest. When the correct code is entered, the opening command is sent to the motorized cylinder which will open the door.

In this way, the owner does not have to worry about changing the codes and communicating them, as the codes are updated even in the event that, upon arrival of the guest, there is no power supply and / or internet in the apartment. In fact, all the necessary devices work wirelessly and on battery.

At the time of Check-out, the system automatically closes the door and deactivates the utilities, as specified below.

2. Sending documents to the police headquarters.

At the first access to the web application, the guest is asked to enter the personal data necessary for identification which are transmitted in the manner prescribed by current legislation for each short rental contract stipulated.

3. Payment of the tourist tax

If the property is located in a municipality for which the tourist tax is not collected by the booking site, the guest finds the calculation of the amount due directly on the application and can decide to use an electronic payment method, by selecting a button on the application or pay in another way.

The owner of the apartment is thus exempted from this duty.

4.House manuals

Through the web application, the owner provides the guest with all the information on the house rules and the operation of the appliances in the apartment.

For the best guest satisfaction, the information is divided into categories, with detailed descriptions and images. The owner prepares this virtual space dedicated to the apartment with the level of accuracy he prefers in order to allow the guest the full usability of the apartment, with all information immediately and easily available.

5.Tourist guide

Within the web application, there is a space dedicated to places to visit, where to eat, how to get around the city, etc.

The information is divided into categories that can be selected using icons and intuitive buttons that allow guests, even foreigners, to easily find the information of interest.

The owner of the apartment can therefore easily provide an additional service, setting the points of interest in the same way as the categories in the house manual, enriching them as desired with more or less detailed descriptions, with photos or links.

6. Emergency management

By means of the sensors 30 the gateway 10 detects any anomalies (doors / windows left open, flooding due to a leak or a forgotten tap open, break-ins, etc.) and consequently communicates them to the server 16 or carries out the operations already prepared.

The owner always receives notification of what has happened and can intervene promptly to avoid or limit damage to the apartment.

7. Air conditioning

The system can include, among the available devices, a thermostat capable of controlling the boiler, or an actuator that can manage the on / off of an air conditioner. Once the parameters have been set on the server 16, each apartment is managed according to these settings through the gateway 10. The thermostat can be set to act according to weekly programs or with a preset temperature.

The boiler or air conditioning is off or on to always maintain the desired temperature, taking into account the period (of the year ???), the temperature recorded outside and the reservations.

The owner of the apartment thus obtains savings in consumption, because the apartment is always managed with the ideal temperature, and offers comfort to its guest, without having to worry about personally checking the temperature of the apartment. In addition, the system is managed based on reservations, so it is deactivated when no arrivals are expected.

8.Energy saving

The system manages unnecessary utilities, deactivating them at check-out, switching off the air conditioners in the event of open windows and possibly limiting the use of utilities or charging additional costs.

In this way, the owner of the apartment saves on the energy bill, and on waste due to lack of care for the guest, especially in the use of air conditioners and lights. Furthermore, the deactivation of unnecessary utilities at the time of check-out also protects household appliances from possible failures due to current surges or short circuits.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS 1. Automatic system for the control and management of temporary leases of real estate units comprising: - an apparatus (10) for the management and local control of the system, said apparatus being intended for installation within the real estate unit; - a wireless keypad (12), preferably of the membrane type, provided with memory and powered by batteries, said keypad being intended to be installed outside the real estate unit, typically on the entrance door or adjacent to it, and being connected to said apparatus (10); - a motorized cylinder (14), powered by batteries and operated remotely, for opening / closing the door; - a server (16) for the management and global control of the system through a web application; said apparatus (10) comprising: - a microprocessor control unit (20); - a unit (22) for Ethernet connection to the internet; - a LoRa type Wireless communication unit (24); - a unit (26) for remote control of the motorized cylinder (14); said web application including at least one form designed to automatically generate, at the time of booking, an access code valid only for the rental period, said access code being memorized and periodically updated, by means of said apparatus (10), in the memory of the keypad (12). 2. System according to claim 1, in which several access codes are stored in the memory of the keypad (12) whose correct typing determines the activation of the motorized cylinder (14) by the apparatus (10) and the consequent opening of the door. System according to claim 2, in which at least a second code selected by the owner, with or without expiration, and at least a third code which expires immediately after its use are stored in the keypad (12). System according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said apparatus (10) comprises at least a pair of actuators (28) for opening / closing the door where the same is provided with an electric lock instead of a motorized cylinder which can be operated remotely . 5. System according to any of the preceding claims, in which a plurality of wireless sensors (30) connected to the apparatus (10) is provided for monitoring environmental parameters and energy consumption. System according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a plurality of actuators (40) is provided for the automatic management and / or application of different devices such as lights, thermostats, motorized shutters and shutters, irrigation systems, on / off domestic appliances. 7. System according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said web application installed in the server (16) comprises a portal designed to identify a user in possession of credentials assigned automatically by the system when booking the stay and to provide all the information provided by the owner of the rented real estate unit.