Author Topic: New Lock on Apartment Building - Mailman Access???  (Read 1956 times)

Neo

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 172
New Lock on Apartment Building - Mailman Access???
« on: January 15, 2018, 05:17:38 AM »
I feel silly not knowing this since I own 5 buildings but the issue hasn't come up until now. So I bought a 4-family building a while back that had no lock on the main exterior door to the building. This is the door that opens to the foyer which is where the mailboxes are. A new tenant asked me to install a lock, so I did and distributed keys to all the tenants. But now I am thinking, how will the mailman get in? I have other buildings that are always locked from the outside and the mailman gets in there fine, but the locks were put on before I owned those buildings. Does the mailman have some master key or do I need to take a copy of the new key to the post office? Seems crazy that the mailman would have a key to each building. In this neighborhood his key ring would weigh 10 pounds as there are a lot of apartments!

Edit: I live in Ohio if that matters. USPS is federal but maybe some things vary by state...

mre

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 28
Re: New Lock on Apartment Building - Mailman Access???
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2018, 05:55:31 AM »
The USPS does not have a master key to every lock ever created.  If you just went to the hardware store or the local lock shop any picked a random lock, the USPS will not have access to this building unless a resident lets them in.

You should call the post office and see how they are getting into your other buildings and how to deal with this new one.

GizmoTX

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1450
Re: New Lock on Apartment Building - Mailman Access???
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2018, 12:30:57 PM »
It's unreasonable to expect the USPS to carry a key to an apartment door, plus it can be lost or fall into other hands. Where do parcels get left? If the foyer, same problem. The main door should be unlocked during the day.

Can you add another door beyond the foyer? Lock this one instead.
Consider installing a combination lock instead, which can be easily changed if a tenant changes.