Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2011 · 4 posts · 1 vote
I have a 4-plex located in the Denver, Colorado area. The outside, free-standing group mailbox (it serves 3 other bldgs.) has been vandalized. The Post Office claims they own it & are the only ones that can fix it. They have declared it not repairable. They are requesting that the Landlords supply them with a new box & pay for the cost of installation. 1) Does this sound right?, 2) Is a Landlord legally required to supply a mailbox for their Tenants use? (All of the apartments are "legal" & each has it's own address.) Many thanks for your feedback!
I do not know about your area but where I live providing a cluster box is the responsibility of the post office as it is their decision not to make door to door delivery. As a landlord or home owner if the post office does not deliver to my door it is their decision not the home owner and not the home owners responsibility to provide a cluster box. If the post office is suggesting they will make a door delivery put a mail box at each house door. You need to press the post office for more info as something is not right here.
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
10y
A few thoughts come to mind:
1. Your tenants rented from you an apartment with mailbox. Now there is no mailbox. Are you going to reduce their rent lol, because now they have fewer "amenities?"
2. Don't you want your tenants to have a mailbox?
3. If you don't want to pay the PO to do the job, either do it yourself or hire a handyman to do it for you.
Investor · Woodbridge, VA · Member since 2015 · 476 posts · 197 votes
10y
How much money are we talking? if its a couple of hundred just pay it and be done with it. If the post office is wanting thousands from each LL then I would get together with the other LL's and go talk to the post office as a group and find out what your options really are.
Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2015 · 374 posts · 120 votes
10y
Of course you should provide a mailbox. Almost every landlord pays for their mailbox, but I've seen a case where the post office provided one free of charge (I'm not sure how that happened).
I would start with this statement from the PO and ask why they won't put another cluster box in place of the one that they claim is not repairable.
has been vandalized. The Post Office claims they own it & are the only ones that can fix it. They have declared it not repairable.
As far as your tenants, regardless of you or the PO remediation of the mailboxes, they should not be drawn into what is between you as the landlord and the PO.
A side note, when I purchased my SFR primary home, the mail was delivered to a cluster box and still is. I was only given one key to which I would have to "Pay" the PO to get another. We decided not to pay and just use the one key turned over by the previous tenants. These are special keys/locks for which the key can not just be duplicated unless the PO is doing it. Go figure.
I do not know about your area but where I live providing a cluster box is the responsibility of the post office as it is their decision not to make door to door delivery. As a landlord or home owner if the post office does not deliver to my door it is their decision not the home owner and not the home owners responsibility to provide a cluster box. If the post office is suggesting they will make a door delivery put a mail box at each house door. You need to press the post office for more info as something is not right here.
Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2016 · 66 posts · 27 votes
10y
@Thomas S. nailed it. You are either talking to someone who doesn't know what they are doing at the PO or have somehow confused the situation. Either way, you should make this a priority and press to get to the bottom of it. In the interim, communicate the situation to your tenants and for pete's sake get them a mailbox if this is going to be drawn out. They sell them for $20 at home depot and you can hang them yourself.
Lender · Denver, CO · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 597 votes
10y
My first thought was in line with most of the others - wondering - did he really just ask that.
But agreeing with @Thomas S. and having some experience in your market with this. The cluster boxes are expensive, depending on the number of units it can be $2,000 or more. Not a huge deal over a handful of units, but who is going to collect from the other owners and what happens when it is destroyed again.
The Postal service makes the decision on cluster boxes vs individual unit delivery - has to do with the route and efficiency. I would call the local post master and have a conversation about what is going on and the remedy. If they will allow individual boxes, that is great news and it is an easy fix.
If the cluster is required and continues to be destroyed - consider offering your tenants a PO Box at the post office, very inexpensive and easy to sell that you want their mail to be safe. I would pay just so my phone didn't ever ring about this issue again.
Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2011 · 4 posts · 1 vote
10y
Yes, the mailbox is for USPS items only. Non USPS items are delivered to the addressee's front door (which has unsecured access), Thanks for the question.
Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2011 · 4 posts · 1 vote
10y
I'm the kind of Landlord the appreciates a wide variety of viewpoints & knows that many heads are better than one. That's why I love ALL of you BPers! Here's a bit more of the story (if you're interested).
I'm an Owner/Occupant in my bldg. (8 yrs.) & have had many issues with my own mail delivery. I'm looking for other efficient/cost effective/secure ways to address mail & this could be a great opportunity for me. I currently have no other Tenants.(due to property upgrades) & want to try increasing cash flow (VS traditional long-term leasing) by trying other leasing options (corporate, shorter term, vacation. etc.). Mail delivery may not be an issue with those options. However, the other Landlords that share the current mailbox operate using traditional long-term leasing business plans, have 100% occupancy & different needs. One size does not fit all. I'd love to lose the hassle of dealing with keys, lock change outs & vandalism (often from Tenants prying open the back to get mail because they lost their key & won't pay for rekeying or contact their Landlord).
I think I may just let the other Landlords "do their own thing" & try a new system depending on my own building's needs. Any feedback on this idea?: Give my Tenants an annual cash "incentive" (equal to the cost of renting a mailbox located at the local Post Office). That way, they can decide for themselves if they want to use it or just pick up their mail at the PO. I want to be sure I don't violate any laws by not supplying a physical box located at my bldg. Thus, my original question, "Is a Landlord required to provide a mailbox in multifamily units?". Sorry if I didn't give enough info. Cheers!
Basement apt below business. No private mailbox provided. I'm told I must get a po box. This does not seem fair or right, thoughts anyone? Is that legal?