Yes. Article 3, Standard of Practice 3-9 of the Code of Ethics states that Realtors® representing buyers or tenants “shall not provide access to listed property on terms other than those established by the owner or the listing broker.” The Regional Rules and Regulations for the SentriLock Lockbox System (the “Lockbox Rules”) also prohibit use of the SentriSmartTM Mobile App for the purposes of gaining “[un] authorized entry into real property” on which a system Lockbox has been installed. The foundational assumption throughout the Code and Lockbox Rules is that third parties should never have unsupervised access to a property without a seller’s consent.

Sellers have the right to place restrictions on accessing their property and may do so for numerous reasons. For example, an unaccompanied minor may live in the home or there may be valuables or other sensitive items present. The best practice is to always confirm with the listing agent that unaccompanied access to the property is permitted. If the access is permitted, a One Day Code or Call Before Showing Code can be issued in order to provide the authorized access. This simple step will protect the rights of sellers and avoid unintended consequences.