Mailbox Key - Landlord Forum thread 235211

Mailbox Key by Habib (California) on September 22, 2011 @13:33

I own an 8 unit apartment building. Recently one of the tenants lost his mailbox key & asked me if I can make a copy of the one I had & send it to him. I looked up & found out that I don't have an extra mailbox key for his unit & told him that he has to get a locksmith to make him a copy. He threatened me that "By Law" I have to have an extra key & now that he will get a locksmith he will deduct the charge from the rent.

Is this true that by law I have to have an extra "Mailbox" key with me?

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Re: Mailbox Key by Anonymous on September 22, 2011 @14:13	[ Reply ]

Either contact your local post office to get their take on the situation or have your whiz kid tenant give you a printout of the law youre breaking.

Re: Mailbox Key by Bryan (Ia) on September 22, 2011 @14:32	[ Reply ]

If you have one of those USPS mutlibox things, it normally says "DO NOT DUPLICATE" right on it. The T must go to the Post Office to obtain a new one. IT is not your fault that the T lost the one you provided. You did get a key deposit?????

Re: Mailbox Key by Katiekate (New York) on September 22, 2011 @14:47	[ Reply ]

There is no such law. He will have to go to the post office to get a copy...you are not allowed to copy them (you should go get one for yourself too) I would send him a certified letter that the mail box key is his responsibility to deal with. He lost it..he needs to go to the post office to get it replaced. Then.. I would just ignore this tenant and don't get into a spitting match with him. If he does deduct this from the rent..you will have to decide then what you will do. Either, just leave it alone because he is otherwise a good tenant...or...send him a 3 day q or p to get the rest of your rent money. But..wait will you see what happens.

Re: Mailbox Key

Re: Mailbox Key by OK-LL on September 22, 2011 @16:14	[ Reply ]

I think you may need to clarify the type of mailbox setup you have. I believe you are talking about a mailbox bank where the 8 mailboxes are opened by the postal worker as a unit to put the mail in, but each individual box door opens separately by the tenant's key. In that setup, the mailbox bank itself is the financial responsibility of the LL, the ability and key to open the full bank is reserved for the postal worker exclusively, and the individual door locks are the LLs responsibility, much like the front door lock of the rental unit. If a tenant loses his key, he is responsible for the cost of replacement. If the LL typically retains a copy but in this case can't find it, that's poor management and I wouldn't charge the replacement lock cost to the tenant. I'd eat that replacement lock cost and only charge the tenant for the spare key charge. If you didn't have 2 keys to the box when the tenant moved in, it was your responsiblility to make a spare for yourself. If you did have and subsequently lost it, that's your bad. Neither of these errors should be charged against the tenant.

Re: Mailbox Key by ERIC on September 22, 2011 @16:24	[ Reply ]

I have large mail boxes, 16 individual keys for my apartment mail boxes. Not all 16 units are my own. I do not have a 'master' main door key, just the individual locks. The PO will replace locks for $20, and give me all 3 keys. On a new building purchase, the PO does it for free. I keep all the original keys, and make new keys for my tenants. I have a key cutting machine, and buy blanks for like .25. I make all my tenant sign a key receipt.

Re: Mailbox Key by Jake on September 22, 2011 @16:34	[ Reply ]

Your can always pay the locksmith and deduct it from his deposit. If he deducts it from your rent, again you can clip the deposit some day. You may want to think about making more duplicates.

Re: Mailbox Key by Anonymous on September 22, 2011 @17:40	[ Reply ]

how come the landlord does not have an extra key?

Re: Mailbox Key by Anonymous on September 22, 2011 @17:40	[ Reply ]

how come the landlord does not have an extra key?

Re: Mailbox Key by MrDan (Georgia) on September 23, 2011 @00:54	[ Reply ]

Your bad for not having a spare key, so perhaps consider splitting the fee for both of your "bads".

Re: Mailbox Key

Re: Mailbox Key by OK-LL on September 23, 2011 @16:39	[ Reply ]

I have rethought my earlier position! Tenants tend to treat having a LL like having a mommy. Mommy, I locked myself out -- come fix it please! Mommy, I clogged the plumbing -- come fix it please! Being a tenant does not absolve one of all responsibility for living. If tenant is assigned a key and loses it, he has to find a solution; if it can't be replaced because tenant wasn't smart enough to make a spare for emergencies, then tenant has to rekey the lock and provide LL with appropriate LL key. Why should LL bear the inconvenience of running to help the tenant correct his mistake? BS!

Re: Mailbox Key

Re: Mailbox Key by Jake on September 23, 2011 @18:43	[ Reply ]

Sounds like some landlords have forgotten where they put their customer service hats.

Re: Mailbox Key by Adam on October 10, 2011 @22:02	[ Reply ]

Not too long ago I lost my mailbox key and the association of my building doesn't keep copies of the keys but they recommended to ask the mailman if he could unlock the lock for me and leave it unlocked. The mailman kindly complied and I bought a replacement lock at HD for a few bucks, pulled the old one out and put the new one in just minutes. Maybe your tenant could do the same?

Re: Mailbox Key by mike (california) on November 1, 2014 @21:42	[ Reply ]

Speaking only of California and speaking strictly about apartment style mailbox "banks", the Postal Service does NOT in any way at all have copies of your mailbox key. PERIOD. The Postal Service is ONLY responsible for the one single key and lock that they use to open the mailbox bank of mailboxes. The Postal Service does not own or maintain your mailboxes. PERIOD. The Postal Service ONLY has the single key that opens up the entire "bank" of mailboxes and not YOUR particular mailbox. It will be an exercise in frustration and confusion if you think you can get a key from the Postal Service. If YOU lose the key issued to you by the landlord and he doesn't have a key, then you two have to come to an agreement over who needs to pay for the replacement. In KINDNESS the landlord may foot the bill, but YOU lost the key, so YOU might have to pay for it.

Re: Mailbox Key by Rachel (Ga) on November 19, 2014 @23:26	[ Reply ]

If you go to the USPS website there is a section of tips or faqs where the post office specifically states to go to the landlord or building superintendent. Why would you allow your tenant to make a copy of the key or change the locks themself? That's plain idiocy and laziness. If the tenant has to replace the lock himself because you are too lazy to action this issue I agree they should be able to take cost off their rent. Maybe half atleast. However what should happen is the LL replaces the lock or key and charges the tenant for the cost or partial cost for sheer negligence.

Re: Mailbox Key by A.Landlady (OR.) on January 29, 2016 @10:12	[ Reply ]

Listen, it's easy to blame your Tenant for losing the key, and clogging the plumbing, and for treating you like you're there 'Mommy' but it's the job we signed up for when we bought property with the intent to rent it out (or signed up to be property managers). Renters can be like children, but at the same time I've found that not acting like their disappointed Mommy and giving them a lecture every time they clog their pipes or lose a key, means that when things break they tell me that they're broken. That way I can fix things as they happen, instead of the tenant being to concerned that I'm going to give them a time out to tell me that their pipes are clogged. Because we all know what happens when they don't tell us, we hear it from their downstairs neighbor who now has water leaking though their ceiling. Or the post man comes in and says "hey unit 123's mail box is crammed full of the last six months worth of junk mail, where should I leave today's? Here In the office?!" No, I'm the land lord, that means I've signed up to deal with tenants, and fix the things that they would fix themselves IF THEY OWNED THE PLACE! Part of the reason people pay high rent prices is because they know maintenance costs (for the most part) will be covered. SO please- suck it up, for the benefit of your tenants and for your own piece of mind. Or keep treating your tenants like children, and start doing mandatory maintenance inspections, because that is the only way you'll find out about these minor problems before they become catastrophes!

Re: Mailbox Key by crpolk (Texas) on April 20, 2016 @11:07	[ Reply ]

Its the landlords responsibility to maintain the locks and keys on his property. You cannot fault the tenant when they ask the property manager to maintain the property, it is, after all, the landlords property, not the tenants. If the tenant were the owner, then all responsibility would devolve upon them for maintenance, insurance and all the rest. Since the landlord is the one reaping the profit of leasing the unit, the tenant has every right to demand that the property be maintained, including making sure that there are spare keys should one be needed. In short, change the mailbox lock, keep a spare key and give the tenant a new one. Its your job, not the tenants.