Committee hears bill to give tenants non‑biometric alternatives to smart locks

The House Housing Committee heard testimony Feb. 18 on Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5,937, which would require landlords of properties covered by the Residential Landlord‑Tenant Act to offer tenants alternative non‑biometric access on request and to make smart‑access privacy policies available.

Audrey Vacek, staff to the committee, told members the bill defines “smart access system” to include RFID cards, mobile phone applications and biometric identifiers and excludes entry methods that rely only on manually entered keypads. She said landlords in a smart access building would be required to provide alternative keys — examples listed in the bill include key fobs, key cards or physical keys — if a tenant requests an option that does not use biometric data or a mobile…