I share keys with a player who has told me she is currently taking a vacation from the game. This allows me to use the little 4-plots in her template house, even though she has never visited it. I'm sure there are other who have the same sort of key-sharing arrangements with players who are on permanent or temporary hiatus from the game.
When the final templates are decided on, it would be good - or best, or something - if they had raised beds but no plots. The plots would have to be 'imagined in' by the property owner.