Let renters use my mailbox?

[Reston Easy]

Is it common to allow renters (3 month rentals) to use my mail box at the mail station?
Thank you.

[Laker14]

yes.
Get a key deposit of at least $35 (cost to replace lock if they lose a key), maybe more to compensate you for the hassle of having to go to the post office in person to get the change-out.

Do you ever live in the unit long enough to receive your own mail? No big deal, but you may get the renter's mail for a while if they or the USPS is slow with the mail forwarding paperwork.

[Garywt]

Renters can get a PO Box at the post office so you don’t have to worry about it.

[fdpaq0580]

We let renters use the box once. We were getting all kinds of stuff for them for months. Big pain in the donkey. Let them get a P. O box.

[MrFlorida]

P.O . box is your best bet.

[Velvet]

No.

[Stu from NYC]

We rented for a month a few years ago and considered a po box.

The restrictions based on how long it would take forwarded mail to get to us made us decide to just have mail held for the month.

[Two Bills]

In 20+ years of renting, never had a property without access to the postal box.
Never paid an extra fee for key either.
All losses/breakages are under the general deposit anyway.

[Velvet]

In 20+ years of renting, never had a property without access to the postal box.
Never paid an extra fee for key either.
All losses/breakages are under the general deposit anyway.

Someone valued you as a tenant. My next door neighbor rents their place to the same couple for the winter months. They play golf together and the wives play bridge. They are treated like family and the renters look after neighbor’s place as well as he would (hire professional cleaners monthly etc). Good tenants are worth their weight….

[Packer Fan]

I used to say no to renters. Then one of my winter guys convinced me to let them use it. I have been allowing it for like 4 years in both houses. The deal is pretty simple - the key is on the hook by the garage door, you can use it, but I will NOT forward mail, and I make not gaurantees, period. If you lose the key it comes out of the security deposit. It has worked great. Every once in a while a renter sends a pic of some mail from an old renter, and I give them the old renters phone to call them (it is a courtesy). I know some has been forwarded. Overall, it is not my responsibility. My renters are happy, and as usual with TV renters- they don't abuse the privelege. Have never lost a key. I think a lot of times, landlords overthink stuff.

[retiredguy123]

Three months is a short term rental and it is the owner's option to allow or disallow the tenant to use the mailbox.

But, I would point out that, for a long term lease (a year or longer), the tenant could go to the USPS and have the mailbox lock changed and use it to receive his/her mail. The tenant is the legal resident and the cluster mailbox is owned by the USPS, not the landlord.

[Laker14]

I used to say no to renters. Then one of my winter guys convinced me to let them use it. I have been allowing it for like 4 years in both houses. The deal is pretty simple - the key is on the hook by the garage door, you can use it, but I will NOT forward mail, and I make not gaurantees, period. If you lose the key it comes out of the security deposit. It has worked great. Every once in a while a renter sends a pic of some mail from an old renter, and I give them the old renters phone to call them (it is a courtesy). I know some has been forwarded. Overall, it is not my responsibility. My renters are happy, and as usual with TV renters- they don't abuse the privelege. Have never lost a key. I think a lot of times, landlords overthink stuff.

Exactly. Also, as a landlord, a great tenant is as valuable as a great landlord is to a tenant. Hence, if you can make your place pleasant and easy, and deal with a long term tenant with respect, you can develop a relationship that gives each of you what you need. The hassle of having your tenant use the mailbox is pretty small. If he/she is a good tenant who respects your property, it's a good thing to make their life easier.

[Lyarham]

Is it common to allow renters (3 month rentals) to use my mail box at the mail station?
Thank you.
Yes. Let them use it

[NY2TV]

I rented for 1 month and landlord let me use mailbox. I didn't have mail forwarded to it. Used it mostly for Amazon deliveries. Never even dawned on me that they wouldn't allow me to use it. It was no problem for either of us.

[Ski Bum]

I used to say no to renters. Then one of my winter guys convinced me to let them use it. I have been allowing it for like 4 years in both houses. The deal is pretty simple - the key is on the hook by the garage door, you can use it, but I will NOT forward mail, and I make not gaurantees, period. If you lose the key it comes out of the security deposit. It has worked great. Every once in a while a renter sends a pic of some mail from an old renter, and I give them the old renters phone to call them (it is a courtesy). I know some has been forwarded. Overall, it is not my responsibility. My renters are happy, and as usual with TV renters- they don't abuse the privelege. Have never lost a key. I think a lot of times, landlords overthink stuff.
Exactly. I would add, if someone is paying me $4500 a month, well yeah, they can use the mailbox. Landlords do overthink stuff. But I think the biggest thing is the difference in thinking between long term and short term rentals. Those who rent for under a month are an entirely different crowd.

[dlebuis]

Before moving here we rented and were always allowed to use the mail box. Appreciated it and just assumed it was an automatic perk of renting.

[yporter]

Is it common to allow renters (3 month rentals) to use my mail box at the mail station?
Thank you.

We own now, but rented for 4 years (1 mo, 2 mo, 3 mo, then 6 mo) and while we held our mail for the 1 mo period all other times we had a mailbox key and forwarded our mail. It really helped to have it included so we didn't have to negotiate an additional rental (PO box), and as other posters have noted it is an amenity that landlords can provide that enhances the quality of life for your tenant - and is much appreciated. We never had an extra deposit - our landlords noted the replacement costs for lost items (including gate passes, mailbox key, etc). We never lost anything so don't know if those costs were punitive or not since it didn't happen.

As for getting the former tenants mail, that happens no matter - I still get mail for a deceased husband who died almost 10 yr ago even though I've moved. I appreciate the large trash cans at the mail stations - makes for an easy quick sort and dispose.

[agjaret@aol.com]

I am a 3 month renter. I have a ups store mailbox. It doesn’t work out. The covid tests were not delivered to my home but to mail station. I don’t know with amazon what’s going where. I don’t need this stress.

[BFISHER54]

Is it common to allow renters (3 month rentals) to use my mail box at the mail station?
Thank you.

The mail person at the postal station should have a form for renters to fill out showing names of persons to receive mail and the dates they will be there.

[Flyers999]

Before moving here, I visited for two months a year for five years. I was always allowed to use the landlords mail box. Came in handy for Amazon deliveries and Netflix.

[jbrown132]

Renters can get a PO Box at the post office so you don’t have to worry about it.
If it is a rental property that should not be a problem as the renters have a right to receive mail at the residence they live in. No different than if you owned an apartment outside The Villages. Secondly, if you rent the property and it is also your home, the minuet you rent you have to give up your Villages ID cards when they pick up their Villages ID’s. They become residents of the Villages with all the rights that come with it and that includes a mail box.

[DrHitch]

As a renter, we do not rely on our home owner to manage our own mail.

1) From home up north, we rely on the USPS service called "Informed delivery" to send us a e-mail with photos of all the mail that is continuing to be delivered to our house

2) To have items shipped to The Villages, we use "pirateship.com" for very cheap USPS and UPS boxes. They can be delivered to any homeowner here or to a nearby UPS styore for "hold until date" of arrival.

3) Yes, our landlord/homeowner here has indicated that anything sent to her mailbox with our name would be hand-delivered to us at house (very nice), but we don't plan on it....

[DaleDivine]

If it is a rental property that should not be a problem as the renters have a right to receive mail at the residence they live in. No different than if you owned an apartment outside The Villages. Secondly, if you rent the property and it is also your home, the minuet you rent you have to give up your Villages ID cards when they pick up their Villages ID’s. They become residents of the Villages with all the rights that come with it and that includes a mail box.

I don't think this is true...
:ohdear::ohdear::ohdear:

[rogerk]

Giving renters access to you mailbox obviously works for some people. It can be a hassle for you if you have to forward mail to your renters, that will obviously show up in your PO Box. In addition, the renter can apply for and use credit using your address then you would have a tough time proving it wasn't you. Personally, I would suggest you recommend Safe Ship or UPS who will rent them a PO type box for short term or the Post Office for longer term.

[Velvet]

I notice the renters on this post vote for getting a key, but the landlords who post, are hesitant. If the house you rent out in winter is one you use at other times, certain bills will be sent to that address. Cards, Villages notifications etc, things you cannot get online. You would have to stop your own mail, which works sometimes but quite often, does not no matter what you do, in my experience. So you have to trust your renter with your private mail. If you know your tenant well, it may not be a problem.

[Traveling lady]

Renters can get a PO Box at the post office so you don’t have to worry about it.

When I first rented, my kids knew the address of where I was staying and sent things to me. Neither they nor I at that time knew that there was no home delivery.

[Velvet]

If it is a rental property that should not be a problem as the renters have a right to receive mail at the residence they live in. No different than if you owned an apartment outside The Villages. Secondly, if you rent the property and it is also your home, the minuet you rent you have to give up your Villages ID cards when they pick up their Villages ID’s. They become residents of the Villages with all the rights that come with it and that includes a mail box.

You are assuming that you are getting the Villages ID cards that is IF the landlord is willing to get it for you so that you may take part of the amenities in the first place.

[Packer Fan]

Replying to Laker14. I don't know why it did not quote your post.

That is so true. Very well said. I love my repeat renters, and I once I get a renter, I rarely lose them unless they buy. There is the other end of Landlords who rent weekly on AirBNB and are talking about $5000 a month in high season for a patio villa. Totally different clientel than I am looking for. I won't rent for less than the whole high season.

[lmack]

We’ve had a rental here since 2010 and always let tenant’s use mailbox and never had a problem. Always got key back and rarely had any of their mail to deal with.
Maybe we have been lucky but we figured we already had a security deposit and people here more than one month need some access to mail.

[Two Bills]

You are assuming that you are getting the Villages ID cards that is IF the landlord is willing to get it for you so that you may take part of the amenities in the first place.

Who would take a winter 3-4 month rental and not get a Village ID?
I would hazard a guess that no one in their right mind would rent a property if that ID did not come with it.

[Velvet]

Oh, oh, I guess I’m a dummy. I did come and did not know about the ID. It was in the second year that my aunt went and got me a visitor ID and that is when I learned about it. But I was here for a short time those days. I find some of the assumptions by people a bit presumptive. The Villages is a beautiful place to visit and most landlords likely entice good renters with The Villages ID at the rents they expect. But it is not a given.