If you've been hunting through the OwnerRez integrations directory looking for an "August" tile, stop. It isn't there — and it isn't coming. OwnerRez doesn't talk to August directly. To get a unique code on your August lock every time a guest books, you need a layer that speaks to both sides: OwnerRez's reservation API on one end, August's lock API on the other.
This guide walks through exactly how that bridge works in GuestsKey, what you set up yourself, what's automatic, and how to verify the whole thing before your next check-in.
Why August Doesn't Connect Directly to OwnerRez
OwnerRez maintains a list of door-lock integrations in its support documentation, and the supported paths are bridge platforms like i-checkin, RemoteLock, and GuestsKey — not lock manufacturers themselves. August is a lock brand owned by Yale/Assa Abloy; it exposes its own cloud API, but OwnerRez has no native client for it.
The practical implication: you pick a bridge that supports both OwnerRez and August, authorize each side once, and let the bridge do the per-booking code provisioning. GuestsKey reaches August through Seam (the API platform that abstracts every major WiFi lock brand). The bridge listens for reservation events from OwnerRez (new booking, modified dates, cancellation) and turns them into lock commands (add code, change schedule, remove code) on the August side.
Without that layer, you're back to handing out a shared code — which defeats the entire point of putting a smart lock on a short-term rental.
What You Need Before You Start
Before touching any dashboards, confirm you have:
- An August lock with internet connectivity. This means either an August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (newer generations have Wi-Fi built in) or an older August lock paired with an August Connect Wi-Fi Bridge. A Bluetooth-only August lock with no bridge can't be controlled remotely, and the integration will not work.
- The August app installed and the lock fully provisioned — named, calibrated, and showing online status. Test that you can lock and unlock it from the August app while away from the house. If remote control doesn't work in the August app, it won't work through any bridge either.
- An active OwnerRez account with at least one property configured. You don't need to generate any API tokens — GuestsKey uses OAuth.
- A GuestsKey account. Sign up at guestskey.com and start the onboarding wizard.
One note on August model support: Seam's August coverage includes current-generation August Wi-Fi Smart Locks and the Yale Assure 2 line, which shares August's cloud. If you have an older August Smart Lock Pro with no Connect bridge, you'll need to add the bridge before any of this works.
Step 1 — Authorize OwnerRez in GuestsKey
In the GuestsKey onboarding wizard, click Connect OwnerRez. You'll be redirected to OwnerRez's authorization page. Sign in with your OwnerRez credentials and click Authorize GuestsKey to grant read-only access to your bookings and property data.
A few things to know about this step:
- GuestsKey is read-only on OwnerRez. We never write back — no booking creation, no rate changes, nothing that could touch your channels.
- There's no token to copy or paste. The OAuth flow handles everything, and tokens refresh automatically in the background.
- Webhooks for new bookings, modifications, and cancellations are provisioned automatically as part of the OAuth handshake. You don't have to configure a webhook URL or choose webhook vs. polling.
After authorization, OwnerRez redirects you back into GuestsKey and your properties begin syncing. Bookings for the next 12 months pull in within a couple of minutes.
Step 2 — Connect Your August Lock via Seam
Next, click Connect Seam Lock in the wizard. You'll be redirected to Seam's authorization flow — Seam is the API provider that GuestsKey uses to reach every major WiFi lock brand, August included. Your August credentials go to Seam directly; GuestsKey never sees them.
On the Seam screen, choose August as your brand, then sign in with the email address tied to your August account. August sends a verification code to that email or to your phone, you paste it back, and Seam enumerates every lock on your account. Pick the locks you want GuestsKey to manage.
A few things to watch for during this step:
- Use the owner account on your August lock, not a guest-invite account. Guest accounts in August typically can't create or revoke codes, which will silently break the integration later.
- The email and phone on your August account need to be current. If you've moved or changed numbers, update August first or the verification code won't reach you.
- After connection, GuestsKey shows each lock with its current battery level and online status. If a lock shows offline immediately, fix that before mapping it to a property — code pushes will fail otherwise.
Seam handles August token refresh in the background. Once authorized, you generally don't have to re-auth unless August forces a credential reset.
Step 3 — Map Properties to Locks
Back in GuestsKey, the wizard now shows your OwnerRez properties alongside your connected August locks. You explicitly map each OwnerRez property to the lock (or locks) at that property.
This mapping step is the one operators most often get wrong. If you have three units and three locks, you map property → lock for each one. A missed mapping means bookings for that property will sync but no code will ever land on a lock.
Step 4 — Turn On Guest and Cleaner Automation
On each property, open the Automation tab and enable guest code automation. You'll see two choices:
- Last digits of guest phone (the default). GuestsKey takes the last 4, 7, or 10 digits of the guest's phone number and uses that as the code. 4 digits is the default — short, memorable, and good enough collision-wise at typical occupancy.
- Random. Generate a random N-digit code per booking.
Guest codes follow a strict lifecycle: scheduled when the booking is confirmed, applied at check-in time, deleted at checkout time. Codes pre-schedule on the August lock via Seam, so check-in works even if our server is down at the moment the guest arrives.
For cleaner codes, set a recurring schedule (e.g., Tuesdays and Fridays 10am–3pm) or wire codes to turnovers. Cleaner codes live in a dedicated slot so they never collide with guest codes.
For maintenance or one-off vendor access, use GuestsKey's one-time keys feature — temporary codes valid for a specific window that you can hand to a contractor and revoke instantly.
Testing the Integration End-to-End
Don't trust the integration until you've watched a full cycle.
Create a test reservation in OwnerRez — a real booking record, not a block — for a window starting in about 30 minutes and ending two hours later. Use a placeholder guest name like "TEST — DO NOT BILL." Make sure the booking has a guest phone number so a code can be derived.
Watch the GuestsKey dashboard. You should see:
- The reservation appear in the booking list within seconds of saving it in OwnerRez (the webhook is real-time).
- A guest code generated and scheduled for the booking's check-in time.
- At check-in time, the code transitions to applied and is live on the August lock.
Walk to the lock and physically test the code on the keypad. Then advance the test: either wait for checkout or cancel the booking in OwnerRez. Confirm the code is removed from the lock — try it on the keypad again and verify it fails.
If any of those steps don't happen, fix them now, on a test booking, not at 4pm on a Friday when a real guest is sitting in your driveway.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
August Wi-Fi connectivity drops. The single most common failure mode. Symptom: the code shows as scheduled in GuestsKey but the lock reports offline. Fix: check the August app for lock status. Wi-Fi locks near the edge of router range drop intermittently; consider a mesh node closer to the door. Because Seam pre-schedules codes on the lock side, intermittent drops usually self-heal — but persistent offline status will block code pushes.
No guest phone number on the booking. Some channels (notably Airbnb) don't include phone in the booking response. GuestsKey fetches it from OwnerRez's /guests/{id} endpoint as a fallback, but if the guest never provided a phone, automation can't derive a code. Switch that property to Random code generation, or update the booking in OwnerRez with a phone number.
API rate limits. OwnerRez rate-limits at 300 requests per 5 minutes. If you've just connected and a large backfill is running, you may see brief delays — GuestsKey retries 429 responses with exponential backoff automatically. Nothing to do on your end.
Codes appearing but not on the right lock. Almost always a property-to-lock mapping error from Step 3. Re-check the mapping in the property's Automation tab.
Booking modified but code didn't update. Open the booking in GuestsKey and confirm the new check-in/checkout times are correct. GuestsKey uses the per-booking times (not the property default) and re-schedules the code automatically when the booking changes. If the times look stale, the OwnerRez webhook may have missed the event — open the OwnerRez integration card and click Resync to pull fresh state.
Get through one clean test cycle, fix any gaps, and the integration will quietly run itself for hundreds of bookings after that.