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RobertC36 (California) Posts:3
02/26/2018 11:49 AM
Question. I moved in about 6 months ago and did not receive a key to my mailbox. The owner lost his and never replaced it. I've been after the HOA and Postal Service about getting a key. The Postal service says its the HOA reasonability to get a key and or replace the lock. The HOA and Management Company says its the Postal Services. My CCR only says to get key from owner, nothing else. These are a block of mailboxes mounted in areas nears each set of condos. How do I proceed.
TimB4 (Tennessee) Posts:20143
RobertC36 (California) Posts:3
02/26/2018 1:14 PM
I can replace the lock myself if I had access to the box. How do I get someone to open the rear so I can pull the lock?
TimB4 (Tennessee) Posts:20143
02/26/2018 1:23 PM
Take a look at the links I provided.
CarolF (Florida) Posts:435
02/26/2018 1:28 PM
In my HOA, if a new homeowner has not gotten the key from the previous owner, he must make arrangements at the Post Office to have their employee install a new lock for $25, and the new owner is then given the key. The HOA is not involved. Also, it is not the regular postal delivery person who does the work. It is a postal employee that the Post Office sends out for their maintenance work.
MelissaP1 (Alabama) Posts:13828
02/26/2018 3:31 PM
I would talk to the postman. You can buy the lock at Lowes/Home Depot for less than $10. In our HOA you could just put the lock in the box and the postman would install it for you. Since you can't open it, then I would go to the post office about making arrangements. Even though this is on HOA property, it's federal in nature. Your not allowed to put anything inside a mailbox without a stamp on it.
Former HOA President
TimB4 (Tennessee) Posts:20143
02/26/2018 3:35 PM
Per the post office (if you follow the links I provided earlier), the maintenance of the cluster mailboxes are the responsibility of the owner/custodian, not the post office. If you follow the links I provided earlier, they actually suggest you talk to the mail carrier to obtain access - then replace yourself. If you follow the links I provided earlier, they actually show how to replace the lock if you can't get the door open (i.e. drill the lock out).
RichardP13 Posts:0
02/26/2018 3:56 PM
Based on my experience as a property manager, hopefully the keys are turned over during the final escrow process. It would always be a good idea to change the lock as you NEVER know if the previous owner still has a key. You NEED to check with your post office for your zip code, but they all handle things differently from post office to post office. Some will work with a locksmith to change out the lock and some will require that their people do the work. I ran into this at my new office, $55.00 for a $10.00 lock on Amazon. My management company will NEVER keep an extra set for security and privacy reasons.
KerryL1 (California) Posts:13439
02/26/2018 4:23 PM
We have two sets of cluster mailboxes in interior mailrooms for our 200+ residential condos. No one on our premises including our property mgr. have keys to the individual mailboxes except unit owners or their renters. What a nightmare it would be if mgmt. had to keep track of all of them given g frequent turnover of some units. While we have a reserves line item for them, owners are completely responsible for their keys.
CarolF (Florida) Posts:435
02/26/2018 4:39 PM
Also, in my situation, we are not condos, but individual homes. My HOA is serviced by several banks of locked mail boxes, not individual mail boxes at the driveway. We are one subHOA within a larger POA, which includes condos and other individual homes. Last year we had the situation you describe. I know that is how the Post Office handled it. Also, since the home had previously been rented, it was probably a good idea to have a new lock installed by the Post Office, and I assume the PO required some paperwork to verify that this is the new owner.
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