A lost mailbox key sounds small until the mail starts piling up. The fix is usually simple, but who fixes it depends entirely on who owns the mailbox. Getting that right first saves a wasted call.
First, work out what kind of box it is
- A mailbox at your own home, on a post by the curb or mounted by the door: it is yours.
- A bank of mailboxes inside an apartment building or an office building: it usually belongs to the building.
- A cluster box in a neighborhood, a freestanding unit with many small doors: it belongs either to the Post Office or to the developer or homeowners' association.
Your own mailbox
If the box is yours, a locksmith can replace or rekey the lock. It is worth doing whenever you move into a new home, because you have no idea who else has a key to the old one.
Apartment and office mailboxes
Start with the property manager. They may have a spare key, and they need to know if a key is lost. With their approval, we can change the lock on the compartment and give the manager a copy of the new key, so the building's records stay complete.
Neighborhood cluster boxes
If the Post Office installed and owns the unit, contact your local Post Office about the lock on your compartment. If the developer or the homeowners' association owns it, start with them. Either way, they will want proof that you live at the address.
The carrier's door and the parcel lockers are not ours to touch
The main door that the mail carrier opens, and the parcel lockers in a cluster box, are controlled by the Post Office. No locksmith should work on those locks, and a reputable one won't.
What to have ready
- Proof that you live at the address, such as an ID with the address or a piece of mail.
- The number of the mailbox or compartment.
- For a building mailbox, the property manager's approval.
For property managers
Mailbox locks are one of the easiest things to fall behind on in a building. A few habits help:
- Rekey or change the compartment lock when a tenant moves out.
- Keep a simple log of which key goes with which compartment.
- Keep a spare for each compartment somewhere secure, not in an unlocked drawer.
We change mailbox locks for buildings and businesses as part of our commercial work, and we can do several compartments in one visit.
