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How long does a home sharing code last?

A sharing code for a home usually isn't permanent — it has an expiry date, much like a link to a video or a document. Here's what that means in practice, and what to do once the code has run out.

Why does a sharing code have an expiry date at all?

A code that never expires is a code you can lose track of. Share a home with three different prospective buyers over six months, and if one of those codes still works two years later, you no longer know who can see what. An expiry date is built-in tidying-up: old interest disappears on its own, without you having to remember to shut it down manually.

It's also a protection for you as the sender. A link that lives forever can be forwarded, forgotten in an email thread, or sit in a browser history long after the home has sold or is no longer for sale. An expiry date sets a natural limit on how long it stays relevant.

How long does a code typically last?

It varies from system to system, but a typical range is a few weeks to a few months — enough for a buyer to look at the home several times, show it to a partner or an advisor, and come back to it, without the code being a one-off. It's rarely shorter than a week, because then the code would risk expiring while the recipient is still interested, and rarely longer than a year, because then the expiry date loses its function as tidying-up.

The exact duration should be shown clearly right where you create the code — not tucked away in a setting you have to hunt for. If you can see the expiry date straight away, you can also judge whether it suits the situation before you pass the code on.

What does the recipient see once the code has expired?

A well-designed sharing flow says it plainly: "This code has expired. Ask for a new one." — not a generic error message, a blank page, or a link that just does nothing. The difference matters, because a buyer who hits an unexplained error might think the app is broken, or that the home has been withdrawn — while a clear expiry message tells them exactly what to do: contact the sender and ask for a new code.

It's worth testing this yourself if you're unsure how your sharing solution handles it. Open an old code you know has expired and see what greets you — that's the experience your recipients get too.

Can you extend or renew an expired code?

The expired code itself usually can't be revived — it's closed to keep the system tidy. But you can normally create a new code for the same home within seconds, with a fresh expiry date. That means "the code has expired" isn't a dead end, just a signal to generate a new one and pass it on.

If you have a regular circle of recipients — a regular estate agent, a regular advisor — it's worth keeping track of when their code expires, rather than waiting for them to report back that the link no longer works.

What happens to the code if you delete the home first?

If you delete the home itself, the code stops working, however much time is left in the expiry period. The expiry date is an upper limit, not a guarantee that the code will work the whole way through — if the source data no longer exists, there's nothing left for the code to show. If someone has already viewed or downloaded something through the code before you delete it, that doesn't affect what they've already seen or saved.

Should you share a code that never expires?

No, unless the system leaves you no other choice. A code with no expiry date is convenient in the moment, but it's an unlimited opening you have to remember to close yourself — and that's the kind of thing people forget. If there's an option to set a shorter expiry date manually, it's worth using for sensitive shares, where you only want one particular person to be able to see the home for a limited period.

Conversely: if the code is for something you want to live for a long time — an embed on your own website, say, meant to show the home for several months — make sure the expiry date actually reaches that far, rather than just trusting the default setting.

How to keep track of multiple codes for multiple recipients

• Write down who has been given which code. Share with several prospective buyers, and it's easy to lose track of who can still see what.
• Check the expiry date before you send the code. A code that expires in two days isn't worth much to a buyer who's only just started looking.
• Create a new code instead of reusing an old one if you're unsure who already has it. It's a fresh start, not an extension.
• Delete old codes you no longer use, if the system gives you the option — even though they'd expire on their own eventually, it's better not to leave more open than necessary.

What HouseSense does

In HouseSense, every sharing code has an expiry date, shown directly in the app, right where you create and manage the code. If the code has expired, the web viewer tells the recipient plainly: "This code has expired. Ask for a new one." — instead of an error page. The feature requires an Estate subscription, like the rest of buyer sharing. If you need to share the home with a new prospective buyer, you simply create a new code, regardless of whether the old one is still active or has already run out.

What if you want to share with someone for a long time to come?

If the home needs to be shown over a longer stretch of time — an open-house run spanning several months, or a permanent listing on an agent's site — a single code with an expiry date isn't always the right tool. Here it makes more sense to use an embedded view directly on your own website, if the system supports it, rather than renewing the same code over and over.

Decision checklist

1. Will the code be used by one particular person for a limited period? Share it with a normal expiry date — that's the ordinary case.
2. Has the code expired and you still want to share? Create a new code — the old one can rarely be revived.
3. Does the home need to be shown for a long time? Consider an embedded view on your own site instead of repeated codes.
4. Unsure who has which code? Write it down, or create new codes rather than reusing old ones.