Published 2026-10-02 · 11 min read

August vs Yale Assure Lock 2 for Landlords (2026): Retrofit vs Keypad for Rentals

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General information only: this article is for educational purposes and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Prices change frequently — verify current pricing on each product's page before you buy. Check your state and local laws before changing locks or lock-access policies at a rental.

Every tenant turnover forces the same decision: rekey the locks or live with the risk of old keys floating around. A locksmith rekey runs $75–$150 per door each time, and across a portfolio of units that recurring bill gets painful. Smart locks end it: revoke a digital key or delete a tenant code when the lease ends, and the old access dies instantly — no service call, no scheduling, no wondering how many copies are out there.

In 2026, two smart locks dominate landlord conversations more than any others: the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Gen) and the Yale Assure Lock 2. They solve the same problem from opposite philosophies. August is a retrofit — it bolts onto the inside of your existing deadbolt and never changes how the door looks. Yale is a full deadbolt replacement with a touchscreen keypad tenants can use with no phone and no app. Here's how they stack up for actual rental duty, with pricing verified as of fall 2026.

At a Glance: August vs Yale Assure Lock 2

Both offer auto-lock, activity history, and remote lock/unlock over Wi-Fi. Neither requires a monthly subscription. The choice comes down to install philosophy, how your tenants actually get in the door, and how you run turnovers across a portfolio.

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock: The Invisible Retrofit

August takes the path of least resistance: the lock installs on the inside of your door in about 10 minutes with a screwdriver, fitting over most standard single-cylinder deadbolts. Nothing about the door's exterior changes — the deadbolt, keyway, and curb appeal stay exactly as they are. Check current August pricing — the 4th Gen model lists at $229.99 but routinely sells in the $150–$185 range.

The landlord superpower is digital key management. Instead of cutting keys at move-in, you send the tenant a digital key from the August app — permanent for the lease term, scheduled for a contractor's Tuesday-afternoon window, or temporary for a showing agent. When the tenant moves out, you revoke the key in seconds. No rekey, no locksmith visit, no "did they return all copies?" anxiety. Auto-Unlock (location-based from the tenant's phone) and Auto-Lock with DoorSense mean the door secures itself when it closes — useful for tenants who forget.

The trade-off is phone dependence. Without the separate August keypad accessory, a tenant needs the app to get in. If your tenant base skews older, loses phones, or just prefers a code, budget for the keypad add-on on each door — or look at Yale. Also, the CR123 batteries last a few months and aren't the AA batteries you already stock; factor battery swaps into your unit-turnover checklist.

Choose August if: you want the fastest install across a portfolio, zero exterior change (matters for HOA properties and historic buildings), and turnover that takes seconds in an app. See if August fits your rentals.

Yale Assure Lock 2: The Keypad Workhorse

Yale is the oldest lockmaker of the bunch (the brand dates to the 1860s), and the Assure Lock 2 is its modern all-rounder: a full touchscreen-keypad deadbolt that lets anyone enter with a code — no smartphone required. The Bluetooth model runs about $180 and the built-in Wi-Fi model about $260, according to a September 2026 review roundup, with install taking 40–45 minutes with basic tools into a standard 2-1/8″ bore.

For landlords, the touchscreen is the point. A tenant gets a personal PIN at move-in; contractors get temporary or scheduled codes; everyone keeps their own code, which gives you a clean activity trail of who came and went. The Yale Access app handles remote lock/unlock (on the Wi-Fi model), code creation, and activity tracking. Because it's a full deadbolt replacement, keyed models still take a physical key — so you keep a master-key fallback even if every battery on the property dies at once.

The trade-off is the swap itself: replacing the deadbolt permanently changes the door, takes longer to install, and on some properties (HOAs, Section 8 inspections, certain historic districts) a new visible keypad needs approval or at least documentation. Batteries are standard AAs, which are easier to stock than CR123s, but you'll still want a battery-replacement cadence — dead batteries plus an expired code is how you get a 10 PM lockout call.

Choose Yale Assure Lock 2 if: your tenants need keypad entry without a phone, you want a physical-key fallback on every door, and you don't mind the one-time deadbolt swap.

Head-to-Head for Rental Duty

Install effort across a portfolio. August wins on speed and reversibility: ~10 minutes, no exterior change, and you can pull it off at lease renewal if you change your mind. Yale takes ~40–45 minutes per door and commits you to the new hardware. If you're retrofitting 20 units, that time gap is real — but it's a one-time cost.

Tenant experience. Yale wins for universal access: anyone with a code gets in, including the tenant whose phone died at the grocery store. August's app-first approach is slick for tech-comfortable tenants and showings, but plan on the keypad accessory for anyone else.

Turnover workflow. Both end the rekey. August edges ahead on pure speed — revoke a digital key in the app and it's done; Yale requires deleting or rotating codes. In practice both take under a minute, which is the whole point versus a $75–$150 locksmith visit.

Remote management. Both give you remote lock/unlock and activity history over Wi-Fi (August Wi-Fi model; Yale Wi-Fi model — note the Bluetooth Yale needs a Wi-Fi module for remote access, so buy the right variant). For vacant-unit monitoring, pair either lock with a camera or a monitored system like those in our Vivint vs Ring Alarm comparison.

Battery logistics. Yale runs on 4× AAs — the batteries you already buy in bulk. August needs 2× CR123s, which cost more per change and aren't in every junk drawer. Small detail, portfolio-scale annoyance.

Exterior and compliance. August changes nothing outside the door — the safest pick where an HOA, historic board, or picky property manager cares about appearances. Yale's keypad is visible and modern-looking, which most tenants like but some associations won't.

The Landlord Verdict

• Pick August if you manage multiple doors and want the lowest-friction install: 10 minutes, invisible from outside, and turnovers handled in an app. The digital-key workflow is the fastest rekey killer in the category. Check August pricing and compatibility.
• Pick Yale Assure Lock 2 if your tenants need keypad entry without relying on a smartphone, you want a physical-key fallback, and you're fine with a one-time deadbolt swap. The $180 Bluetooth model is the value play; the ~$260 Wi-Fi model is the one that gives you full remote management.

Either way, both beat the rekey treadmill. The right lock is the one your tenants will actually use — because a smart lock only earns its keep when every tenant has a code or key that works on day one. If you're still deciding on the broader setup, our best smart locks for rental property roundup covers the full field, and our August vs Schlage Encode showdown compares August against the other keypad heavyweight. For the full security stack — locks plus cameras, monitoring, and vacant-unit coverage — see our rental property security guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do smart locks eliminate rekeying between tenants?

Yes — that's the core landlord value. Instead of a $75–$150 locksmith visit per door, you revoke the old tenant's digital key or delete their code and issue a fresh one. Both August and Yale handle this in their apps in under a minute.

Can tenants be locked out if the Wi-Fi goes down?

Both locks operate locally — codes and the August app-via-Bluetooth keep working without Wi-Fi. Remote features (revoking keys from across town, activity alerts) need connectivity, so budget a backup entry method for critical doors.

Which is better for a large portfolio: August or Yale?

August for install speed and reversibility across many doors; Yale for tenants who need keypad entry without a phone. Many landlords standardize on one per property type rather than mixing.

Do I need the August keypad accessory?

Not strictly — the app and auto-unlock handle entry. But if any tenant can't or won't use the app, the keypad is the practical answer, and it costs extra per door.

Does the Yale Assure Lock 2 work with rental-friendly smart home setups?

Yes — it speaks Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit depending on the model, with Matter options on newer builds. Check the exact variant before buying, since Bluetooth and Wi-Fi models differ in remote features.

Will changing the deadbolt violate my lease or local rules?

Possibly — some HOAs and historic districts restrict exterior hardware changes, and some jurisdictions have rules about tenant lock access and notice. Check your state and local laws before swapping hardware; see our tenant turnover workflow for a move-out checklist that includes lock updates.

Looking for the full picture? Compare both against Schlage in our August vs Schlage Encode breakdown, or browse property management software that pairs with smart-lock workflows for turnovers.