Durin Releases 2025 Holiday Travel & Home Security Report Revealing 78% of Travelers Will Share Access Codes This Season - Most Will Never Change Them

Study finds most homeowners cannot verify and track who has home access as the holiday travel season accelerates code sharing

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly four in five (78%) homeowners planning holiday travel will share their access codes with house sitters, neighbors, or family members this season, yet the majority will never revoke those codes after returning home, according to the 2025 Holiday Travel & Home Security Report released today by Durin, Inc. a leader in access identity verification for the smart home.

Durin's 2025 report surveyed 1,000 U.S. homeowners who use smart locks, electronic keypads, or garage codes to enter their homes, revealing that holiday travel acts as an accelerant for a year-round pattern most people have stopped paying attention to: the accumulation of access codes that are easy to share, too permanent unless actively managed, and too anonymous to track effectively.

Among the survey's most striking findings: 22% of homeowners report they have never changed their primary access code, not even once since moving in. Meanwhile, 40% have experienced or know someone who has experienced at least one access-related security incident, from unauthorized entries to missing items to ex-partners showing up unexpectedly. Despite these risks, only 6% of homeowners use temporary codes, even though 63% are aware their locks offer this feature.

Other key findings from the report include:

• Code accumulation: One in four homeowners (26%) has shared their access code with three or more different service providers since moving in, and 86% of those who share codes give them to multiple types of people
• Service provider access: Among those who have shared codes with service providers, 56% don't change them consistently – 32% sometimes change codes, 13% rarely do, and 11% never change them at all
• The one-code problem: 45% of homeowners use a single code for everyone – household members, kids, cleaners, neighbors, which creates a fundamental visibility gap between knowing "when" versus "who"
• Teenage networks: Two-thirds of parents (67%) report their children's friends have their home access codes, with another third having no idea whether their kids have shared codes at all
• Post-trip uncertainty: One in four homeowners (25%) report wondering whether someone entered while they were away, with half finding evidence and half unable to confirm either way
• The visibility gap: When asked what would make them feel most secure, 51% of homeowners choose methods that would definitively identify who's entering, yet current systems only log timestamps, not identities

"The smart lock industry promised to make home access easier, and it delivered," said Herman Yau, CEO of Durin. "What it didn't anticipate was that 'easier to grant access' would also mean 'harder to verify and track who has it.' Most homeowners can't name everyone who could walk into their home right now."

The survey reveals homeowners consistently want the same thing regardless of security concerns: the ability to see who entered, not just when. Yet most smart locks only log timestamps, leaving homeowners to guess who actually used which code. Holiday travel makes this problem acute – between Thanksgiving and New Year's, you might add six people to your access list at once. According to the survey data, most won't change codes after returning home.

"Before you share another code this season, take five minutes to audit who already has access," added Yau. "Write down every person and service provider with a code to your home. If you can't complete that list confidently, or if you're surprised by how long it is, you're experiencing the exact visibility gap this research reveals. The holiday rush makes it easy to add one more person. Still, changing codes means texting everyone, updating muscle memory, and coordinating with teenagers and service providers – friction that leads most people to leave codes unchanged simply."

Before sharing codes this holiday season, homeowners can evaluate their code management practices and get practical security tips using Durin's Access Quotient calculator at Durin.ai, developed from the survey findings.

Download the complete Durin 2025 Holiday Travel & Home Security Report at durin.ai/2025ReportResults

About Durin

Durin eliminates home access codes entirely. Its AI-powered Door Manager automatically unlocks your door using your phone and face – no codes to share, change, or wonder about. Every entry is logged with a photo and timestamp, so homeowners always know exactly who entered their home, not just when. Built on an upcoming open standard for secure mobile access, Durin integrates seamlessly with existing smart lock systems and is designed to scale across the connected home ecosystem. Founded in 2023, Durin launches publicly in Q1 2026. Learn more at durin.ai.

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SOURCE Durin