Reliable key tracking for public housing management.
VAV cover with logo
VAV logo

Customer

VAV Group

Market

Social Housing & Property Management

Company Size

Enterprise

Country

Finland

Electronic key management to secure housing keys

 

VAV Group (VAV) is a municipally owned real estate company in Vantaa, Finland. Managing more than 11,500 rental homes, VAV plays a key role in providing secure, high-quality, and affordable housing to a substantial portion of the city’s population.

To maintain smooth operations and uphold housing security, VAV needed a reliable way to manage its large number of maintenance and service keys safely, efficiently, and with full traceability.

ecos-key-cabinet-product-used-by-customer ecossystems-kunden-verwendete-produkte-ecoswebman-software-für-schlüsselschränke

Electronic key cabinets

ecos webman

Challenge:
Manual tracking and storage impacted key security and operations

VAV’s traditional key-management system had become inadequate. Keys were sometimes not returned to the correct hooks, and there was no real-time tracking of which keys were in use. This situation compromised both key security and overall safety across the housing stock.

Manual management of the key inventory—even with registers—was cumbersome and error-prone. VAV required a modern solution to secure the keys, audit usage, enforce access rights, and reduce risks associated with misplaced or misused keys. As Hanna Pölkki from VAV explained, they “require first-class security in key management” and needed a system that could grow with their operations.

Our solution:
Scalable key cabinets with restricted badge or PIN access

VAV installed an ecos electronic key cabinet, tailored to their needs. The cabinet’s configurable key slots accommodate VAV’s wide variety of maintenance and service keys. Users, including maintenance personnel and contractors, are identified via RFID or PIN, with access rights centrally managed through a cloud-based platform.

Every withdrawal and return is logged in real time, giving VAV clear visibility of who has which key and when. Ecos’ modular design allows future expansion of the cabinet’s capacity as the property portfolio grows. The Ecos Care software also enables remote management of user permissions and emergency access if needed.

VAV1 mobile app SEMISO

ecos key control cabinet at VAV

ecos mobile app with alerts on late keys

Result:
Secure and simplified key management across the housing portfolio

Since implementing the ecos cabinet, VAV has greatly improved operational security and accountability. Keys no longer go missing or hang on the wrong hooks, and every access is tracked and audited automatically.

The system has simplified key management across the housing portfolio: staff can quickly check out keys, and administrators have a transparent, user-friendly interface to monitor usage. Pölkki notes they can now see exactly which keys are in use and with whom, ensuring better control and responsiveness.

The cabinet has also strengthened tenant security by reducing the risk of unauthorized access, reinforcing residents’ trust. VAV is satisfied not only with the technical functionality of the ecos solution but also with how it supports their long-term property management strategy.