Rental Unit user options

Hi

I have a rental unit which I would like to grant the renter to access and control my Hubitat Hub to manage i.e. add/remove/manage devices and apps.

I have created a Gmail account specifically for my rental unit and used it to register the hub but I don't want to give the user access to this account as they may be able to change the password and lock me out or deregister the Hub and take it.

If I invite them on as a guest would they be able to manage the hub or only view? if only the latter then how do I get around this?

I mean you could simply set up an admin password for the admin functions of the hub, set a main dashboard anyone can get to, put set a pin for any other dashboards you don't want them to have access to.

If you require a security deposit, and register the hub for Hub Protect (online backups!) then I'm not sure this would really need to be a concern. If they take the hub you can keep that portion of the security deposit to get a new hub, and you'd have the online backup that you could restore if necessary to a new hub. Not plug-and-play, but relatively easy to be up and running again.

My family has a cottage that we've rented for generations and have never lost anything of significance, small things like plastic food containers do disappear (likely just forgetfullness) and some kitchen utensils broken, but actual theft has never been a significant issue.

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I will investigate this thanks!

the locking me out of the account deliberately or not is the main concern..having a super-admin account in addition to the admin account to me would be the answer. I am exploring different approaches..

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If you want to give them the flexibility to do this, limiting their access to dashboards only won’t really work.

..that's what I thought..is there any other way I can achieve this is the question..

I think that more thought needs to be put into rental and temporary living arrangements. Most HA systems are designed around permanent living arrangements.

You may need to reconsider the actual risk of your "worst case event," I.e., them locking you out of the account.

It seems like if all they're doing is adding and removing devices they're going to be in the standard device or app interfaces 99.9% of the time and the likelihood they're going to actually lock you out accidentally seems pretty small.

If you're more concerned about intentional actions related to stealing the hub, you can simply look for an option to lock the down the hub in place. Given the relative inexpensiveness of the hub it's not going to be worth anybody's time to try and get around a decent security connection for the hub. Far more likely someone might to try and grab a TV or other common equipment that can be quickly sold.

It does seem like it would be a good idea to have additional options for your use case, but just saying in the absence of those being available right now, it doesn't seem like the risk is really that high overall.

I get your point and I might just have to live with the risk but it would be very convenient to have to option to allow a tenant "restricted" admin access.

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Yup - agree, that would be a nice option. :slight_smile:

As I said before you can lock down the admin and menus. You could even do so far as to use [RELEASE] Hubitat Dashboard - Android dashboard app To limit their access. Simply get a cheap Kindle fire (40 bucks) and leave it there for them to control things you want them to control. Using kiosk you can lock them out of the tablet all together except for that.

thanks.. I think you missed where I said that I want them to be able to manage devices and apps such as Lock Code Manager, etc. It's not the only Dashboard I want them to be able to access..

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You can set pins for dashboards you don't want them into, then make a button one of the dashboards to manage locks

https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=How_to_use_Dashboard_to_Manage_Lock_Codes

It seems clear enough OP is looking to give the tenant at least a limited ability to do some things that are only possible in the hub’s admin interface.

For example:

If you create a guest account for the tenant, they would be able to access the hub, including it’s “admin” interface (where devices and apps are edited/created). I don’t think they would be able to remove your dedicated email address as the one registered to the hub.

I think @danabw is on the right track. If there’s anything on the hub you would miss if it disappeared, hub protect service is one easy way to recover. And security deposits are there to cover the cost of stuff that was damaged, lost or even stolen when the tenant moves out.

Maybe I am missing the point of why you would provide a renter a hub, and even more so why you would allow admin access.

Even with a smart lock, I would think you would want a landlord code (master code) so you could enter at any time (legally of course) you needed to. I don't think I would want the tenants giving out codes to everyone or just randomly changing the lock codes for whatever reason.

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..because it's my use case. There are different markets, and different scenarios which require different requirements. Though I am always thankful for suggestions to examine things from different perspectives, we should never lose sight of the fact that there will be use cases that are not relevant to our particular needs but still very much relevant to someone else's.

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