Just when you thought it was safe to look in the package room, apartment residents received more deliveries than ever last year.
For nearly a decade, apartment managers have felt overwhelmed by the number and size of packages shipped to residents by online retailers. Each year it seems like there couldn’t be more, but additional packages arrive, straining the systems managers invested in previously.
“Package delivery volume has doubled since last year,” says Elie Rieder, founder and CEO of Castle Lanterra. Even more will arrive in the coming months. “We are expecting [another] delivery surge during the holiday season,” he notes.
These packages are also getting much, much larger. “Our residents are now receiving frequent deliveries of larger items such as furniture, artwork, and appliances,” says Stephanie Dryer, community manager at Calligraphy, an apartment community in Brea, California, managed by Western National Property Management.
At apartment properties that have enough space, automated package lockers and package rooms can safely store these parcels. At apartment properties that have staff on-site, leasing agents, maintenance workers, and even temporary employees help handle the overflow of packages that flood the system. And at properties that have neither indoor space nor staff on-site, Amazon offers to supply package lockers for its deliveries that can be positioned outside—a partial solution.
Managers Expand Package Systems, Again
Many apartment companies invested in systems of package lockers or package rooms. They are now expanding those systems.
“Previously we utilized a large bank of package lockers to give residents the convenience and 24/7 access to picking up their packages,” says Lindsey Bright, vice president of operations at Subtext, an owner and operator of student housing based in St. Louis. The students are receiving more online deliveries, particularly during the holidays and peak leasing season. In addition, other packages are too large to fit in the lockers.
Leasing agents and maintenance workers tend to be called on to solve problems with packages. “That results in more work for our on-site teams,” says Bright.
“We’ve moved to a hybrid approach of a moderate number of lockers coupled with a large package room, all managed through one software to maintain the same convenience level for our residents,” she says. “We expect to maintain our design for years to come and have added standard refrigerators in our package rooms to accommodate perishable deliveries. Our goal with our designs is to alleviate the need for our teams to be involved in handling packages daily.”
Other managers also want to keep their staff from getting caught up in solving package problems.
Castle Lanterra has had to hire seasonal temporary employees to help manage the daily delivery of packages. “At larger properties, we have modified former leasing roles to a resident services position with the added responsibility of managing packages,” says Rieder.
“We do accept packages in the office,” says Sagi Alkobi, director of operations for Universe Holdings, based in Los Angeles. “We try to accommodate residents when they specify delivery to the office, so we hold it for them. But, in general, we’ve been looking at other solutions to reduce that volume. In the past, during holidays it was almost a full-time job just managing packages.”
Universe is also installing self-service package lockers and secure rooms when its properties have space. “Residents can go in on their own and pick them up and feel that they are secure,” says Alkobi. “There are fewer and fewer buildings where we’re actually taking packages at the leasing office.”
Failures to Communicate
No matter how much apartment managers spend on package rooms and fancy parcel lockers, many delivery people still pile packages on the floor.
“Our greatest challenge with package delivery is educating drivers on how to utilize our package management systems,” says Bright. “It is common to have multiple drivers from the same service delivering on a daily basis.”
It is easy for drivers who are new to a property to become confused.
“If the courier can’t quickly figure out how to use our parcel locker system and doesn’t immediately see a team member to assist, he or she may just opt to leave the packages without sorting them in lockers,” says Calligraphy’s Dryer.
Calligraphy has posted instructions to delivery couriers that outline how to use the parcel locker system. “Our associates are also dedicated to connecting directly with each courier who enters the building to say hello and answer any questions,” says Dryer.
It also has a digital system to keep track of packages and regularly checks the system to make sure the lockers are not gradually filling up with forgotten or misplaced deliveries. “When it comes to getting important items in the hands of our residents in a timely fashion, effective communication between the property management teams and delivery couriers is crucial.”
However, at some older properties, there is barely space in the lobby for a set of mailboxes. In 2022, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) began to require apartment buildings to include at least one parcel locker for packages for every five mailboxes. Each locker is roughly a square foot in size. That’s not nearly enough, even just for USPS deliveries.
Universe has about 20 apartment properties where there is no room for package lockers and no leasing office on-site. Services like Amazon, UPS, and FedEx often deliver packages to the apartment doors of residents. “Most of our properties will have gated access,” says Alkobi. “Residents will leave notes for access codes for the carriers.”
Amazon now offers its own package solution and can provide sets of secure package lockers to apartment properties—though they can only receive deliveries from the retail giant. They can be installed outdoors or in parking areas, as long as the location has a power supply and can connect to the internet. “Amazon will do a site survey, and, if it works, there may be no cost,” says Alkobi.
Most managers interviewed have no regrets about the various technologies they have tried to handle packages. The exception for Universe was a package locker system in a building lobby that constantly failed to connect to the internet. “There were too many drop-offs and too many connectivity issues, so we just had to scrap it,” says Alkobi. “But, other than that, everything generally works once you work through the kinks.”
