Package Lockers in Apartment Buildings: Cost, Staff Time and Resident Fees
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Deliveries pile up at apartment front desks. Staff sign for parcels, hold them, and hand them back. Some packages go missing. Residents ask for a better way to pick up what they ordered. A package locker, a bank of secure doors in the lobby, answers that. It also costs money to install and run, and whether it pays depends on the staff time it saves and on whether residents pay for it.
This guide shows how to test the savings, how to think about a resident fee and how to calculate payback. It is not advice on mail or delivery law. Check the local rules and the carrier terms before you change how deliveries are handled.
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What does a package locker cost?
- The equipment. A bank of lockers with a controller, installed in the lobby or a secure room, with power and network where needed.
- Service fees. Many systems charge a monthly fee for software, support and the locker's connection.
- Staff time to load and check. Some buildings still handle a parcel that does not fit a locker or a resident who does not pick it up.
- Upkeep. Repairs to doors and locks, and occasional replacement of a module.
- Space. The lobby or room where the lockers sit has a cost too, if it could earn rent or serve another use.
Hypothetical example
These figures are made up for illustration. Get installed quotes and the service fee from the vendor, and count the staff hours from a week of front-desk logs.
A 100-unit building installs a locker bank for $14,000. The service fee is $150 a month, or $1,800 a year. The front desk spends about 2 hours a week signing for and handing out parcels, which the lockers replace. At $25 an hour, that is $50 a week, or $2,600 a year.
| Measure | No resident fee | With a $3 monthly fee (100 units) |
|---|---|---|
| Staff time saved | $2,600 a year | $2,600 a year |
| Less service fee | $1,800 a year | $1,800 a year |
| Resident fee | $0 | $3,600 a year |
| Net yearly benefit | $800 | $4,400 |
| Payback on $14,000 | 17.5 years | 3.2 years |
The difference is large. Without a fee, the savings alone are small, and the lockers are mostly a resident amenity. With a fee, the payback is short, but the fee has to be allowed by the lease and the local rules, and residents must accept it. The plan should show the case with no fee as the base, and the fee as an upside that the sponsor earns only if the lease allows it.
Can you charge residents for lockers?
Possibly. Some owners add a monthly package fee to the lease or to the amenity package. Others include lockers at no charge to attract residents. The lease must state the fee, and local rules may limit fees or require that they be disclosed in a certain way. Get the lease language reviewed by a local attorney, and do not count a fee in the plan until it is in the signed lease terms.
What should you check before you buy?
- The staff hours from a week of front-desk records, not an estimate.
- The vendor's contract: the service fee, the term, what happens if the system stops working, and who owns the data.
- Space in the lobby or room, and whether the same space could earn more.
- Fire and egress rules for the lobby or room where the lockers sit.
- The lease language on packages, fees and what happens to an uncollected parcel.
- The insurance policy's rules on parcels held by the building.
Where does the locker income fit?
A resident fee is other income, and underwriting should count it only once it is contracted and recurs. The other income guide explains how to count recurring fees and remove one-time items. The staff savings are an expense reduction, which belongs in the operating budget as a lower payroll line, not as income. Keep the two apart in the plan.
How DoorRaise fits in
DoorRaise helps sponsors raise equity for apartment buildings with 5 or more units under Rule 506(b) or 506(c). The deal's operating budget and income assumptions show the locker cost, the staff savings and any resident fee, so investors see the case with and without the fee. DoorRaise does not install lockers or run deliveries for a property. Setup is $1,500 (non-refundable), and the administration fee is $5,000 a year from closing.
Start with a sponsor page or see the fees.
FAQ
Do package lockers pay for themselves?
Sometimes, but usually only with a resident fee or a large amount of staff time saved. Test both with real records before you buy.
Who owns the locker system?
It depends on the contract. Some vendors lease the equipment and charge a monthly fee. Others sell the hardware. Read the contract for the term, the fees and the end-of-term rules.
Do lockers reduce lost packages?
They can reduce loss at the front desk. Keep a claims record before you count any reduction in losses, and do not assume the lockers cut losses to zero.
Should lockers be in the lobby?
Often, because residents walk through it. The lobby has its own value, so the owner should compare the locker's space cost with other uses.
Sources
- Apartment other income in underwriting, for how to count recurring fees.
- Apartment payroll and on-site staffing in underwriting, for how to price front-desk time.
- Bulk internet and technology packages for apartment income, for other resident-facing services with a monthly fee.
- Example figures are hypothetical. No vendor price or staff survey is cited here. Use the vendor's quote and your own front-desk records.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Talk to a local attorney about resident fees and lease language, a CPA about the expense treatment and a securities attorney about your deal. DoorRaise is not a law firm, broker-dealer, investment adviser or funding portal.