Which code where
| Job | Code type | Static or dynamic | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listing page | URL | Dynamic | Board rider, window card |
| Virtual tour | URL | Dynamic | Window card, brochure, online listing |
| Brochure and floor plan | URL | Dynamic | Printed particulars, viewing pack |
| Book a viewing | URL | Dynamic | Window card, brochure |
| Agent contact | vCard | Static | Brochure, business card |
| Tenant maintenance form | URL | Dynamic | Inside the property, tenant pack |
The board rider
The board is the reason most agents look at QR codes, and it is the hardest placement to get right. The person scanning is on the pavement, walking, possibly holding a lead or a pushchair. They will give it one attempt.
The rule that matters is distance. A code should be about one tenth of the scan distance wide. From the pavement that is 2 to 4 m, so the code needs to be 20 to 40 cm. Put it on a rider slat of its own, black on white, with “Scan for price and photos” in letters large enough to read from the road. Nothing else on that slat.
Make the code dynamic. Boards stay up for months, and in that time the price drops, the status becomes “under offer”, and eventually the property sells. A dynamic code follows all of that without a visit with a screwdriver.
The window card and brochure
A window card is scanned from about 50 cm through glass, so 5 to 6 cm is enough. Glass adds reflection, so keep the code high contrast and away from the corner of the window where the frame casts a shadow. One code per property, linking to the listing with the tour a tap away.
On the printed particulars, the code should give the reader what print cannot: the full photo set, the floor plan they can zoom, the video walk-through. A 2.5 to 3 cm code in the corner of the first page is plenty. Add the agent’s vCard code on the back so the viewer leaves with your number saved. See the vCard type page for what to include.
Virtual tours and viewings
A tour code on the window card lets a browser walk through the house before they call. Link the code to the listing page and let the tour button sit there, because tours get taken down when the property sells and a code that points straight at a dead tour is a wasted scan. A “book a viewing” code that opens your booking form is worth its own spot on the card, since a person standing outside the property is as motivated as they will ever be.
Getting the board size right
- Board rider: 20 to 40 cm, black on white, level M or Q. Check the number with the size calculator.
- Window card: 5 to 6 cm, away from window frames and shadow.
- Brochure: 2.5 to 3 cm, level M, a clear margin of at least four modules around it.
- Weatherproof stock, printed direct, not a laminated paper label.
- Angle: a board on a slant is read from below; mount the rider at eye height where you can.
Do this
A 30 cm level Q code on its own white rider slat, 'Scan for price and photos' in 5 cm letters, pointing at a dynamic link to the listing.
Not this
A 6 cm code in the agency's light blue tucked into the corner of the main board behind a hedge, pointing at a tour that was removed when the vendor accepted an offer.
In practice
Before ordering riders, print the code at the intended size on plain paper, tape it to a window, and scan it from the far kerb with a mid-range phone. If it does not lock on in two seconds, go bigger.
Retiring the code
A code that points at a dead listing looks careless and sends a scanner to a 404 page. Keep a note of which dynamic code is on which board, and when the property completes, repoint it to a page that says so and shows similar homes. If a landlord leaves a code inside the property for tenants, keep it to a maintenance form and never encode the tenant’s name, the alarm code or a key-safe number.
Try it yourself
Enter the distance from the pavement to your board and the calculator returns the minimum code width. Then make the code dynamic in QR Studio so the board outlives the listing.