Who is responsible for mailboxes in an apartment building: the landlord or the post office?

What the USPS says

Section 508 of the Domestic Mail Manual covers mail receptacles. It says customers must provide authorized mail receptacles or door slots, and that apartment house receptacles must be approved by the USPS. Buying, installing, maintaining and replacing them is not the Postal Service's job, except for neighborhood delivery boxes and parcel lockers the USPS owns itself. When a building is substantially renovated or receptacle locations change materially, obsolete receptacles must be replaced with currently approved ones (DMM 508, read 2026-10-31).

For you this means the box bank is part of the building, like the roof or the hallway light. Tenants should not pay to fix it unless they broke it.

Before you buy or replace boxes

1. Call or visit your local post office and ask for the postmaster or delivery supervisor.
2. Ask what equipment they approve and where it may be installed for your building.
3. Choose an approved box bank sized for your units, with a few spares for growth.
4. Install it where the carrier can reach it, as the post office tells you.

The Manual also tells customers to consult their postmaster before buying and installing wall-mounted central equipment. A wrong purchase is expensive to undo.

Labels and unit numbers

Each box needs a clear unit number, and the numbers should match the unit labels in your leases and on the doors. A tenant's name label is a courtesy: the number is what the carrier uses. See numbering and labeling units. When a tenant moves out, remove the name and keep the unit number.

Broken locks, stolen mail and forwarding

• A broken lock is yours to fix promptly. Open boxes invite theft.
• Taking mail that is not yours is a federal crime. 18 U.S.C. 1708 covers theft or receipt of stolen mail (18 U.S.C. 1708). Report theft to local police and the Postal Inspection Service.
• Tell new tenants how mail works for their unit. Tell departed tenants to file a change of address with the post office.
• Do not open or keep mail for a former tenant. Mark it return to sender or give it to the carrier.

Packages are a separate problem; see package theft and delivery rules.

Day-one mail steps for a new tenant

Give each new tenant their box number and key at move-in, with the unit number on both. Tell them mail goes to the box and larger parcels follow the delivery rules you set. Record the key count you hand out, and rekey or replace the lock if a key is lost.

If the box bank is in poor shape, do not wait for a complaint. A damaged door or lock lets mail be taken, and tenants will look to you. A planned replacement, approved by the post office, costs less than repeated repairs. Keep the receipt with the property's records, since a box bank is a building cost.

How DoorKeeping handles it

Add a mailbox repair as a work order, send the job to a locksmith or handyman by link, and email all tenants that mail pickup is changing. The invoice is read and coded to the property's books. DoorKeeping costs $2 per unit per month with every feature included and does not handle mail.

Sources

1. USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508, Recipient Services (mail receptacles), read Oct 31, 2026
2. 18 U.S. Code 1708, theft or receipt of stolen mail, read Oct 31, 2026

Questions

Is the landlord responsible for broken mailboxes?

Under the USPS Domestic Mail Manual the property side provides and maintains apartment house mailboxes, so repair is generally your job unless a tenant caused the damage.

Does the post office replace apartment mailboxes?

Not for boxes you own. The USPS only maintains boxes it owns, such as its neighborhood delivery boxes and parcel lockers.

What do I do with mail for a tenant who moved out?

Do not open it. Mark it return to sender or hand it to the carrier, and tell the tenant to file a change of address.