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Renovating A Commercial Property? What To Do with The Mailboxes

When you think about renovating your apartment complex, commercial property, or community, you may be thinking about landscaping, furniture, carpet, and even the paint you want for your walls. Basically, you want your property to look good and to attract new residents or commercial renters, as well as customers. A better appearance and curb appeal can also enhance the value of your property, allowing you to make more money.

Sometimes, you need to make repairs to help your property function better as well, and these often come hand in hand with renovations.

Many property owners forget one detail during renovations: the mailboxes. After all, everyone walks past them every day, making them seemingly unnoticeable. However, they’re an important part of your renovation process, and a vital component that can help you reduce tenant turnover.

Here’s what to do with your mailboxes during the renovation process.

Why Are the Right Mailboxes So Important?

What’s the first thing that customers and prospective tenants see when first visiting a property? Mailboxes are often, if not usually, the first part of any property, and this is true no matter which type they are. They are literally at the forefront of curb appeal, which can enhance your property’s value.

If your renovation goal is to improve this part of your property—the front-facing part that makes your first impression—then the right mailboxes are a must. Replace old mailboxes with new models that enhance the look of your property or community. Centralized mailboxes, door slots, and curbside models are all available, and they come in a variety of colors and models. Even centralized mailboxes (which hold multiple, locking compartments inside a single cabinet) can come with attractive pedestals and lighting. Recessed centralized mailboxes are designed to slide into walls and custom-made kiosks.

If you opt for curbside mailboxes in a place such as a condo community, multi-unit mailboxes can cut down on maintenance and keep the appearance uniform.

Is Security an Issue?

Mailboxes aren’t just for looks. They’re also a vital part of safety and security, no matter which property type you manage. Preventing mail and package theft will attract residents and renters, and mailboxes can also improve the convenience of your property.

If mail theft or package theft has been an issue on your property or community, replacing your old mailboxes with more secure models is a must during any renovation process. After all, safety is a top concern for existing and prospective tenants.

Examine the mailboxes that you currently use. Curbside mailboxes are the most prone to damage and theft, so you’ll want to replace them unless they’re locking models. Some centralized models are also wearing down from years of use, and may have broken parts such as locks. These are typically 4B mailboxes, which are no longer approved for new installations. If you have centralized mailboxes of any type with square or vertical compartments, they are likely a 4B model. The new 4C models perform the same purpose, are more secure, and tend to have more convenient features such as parcel lockers and outgoing mail slots. For this reason, 4C mailboxes also protect outgoing mail and incoming packages.

Investing in more secure mailboxes of any type will improve tenant satisfaction and should be a central part of any security renovations.

Convenience for Tenants

Commercial tenants cite convenience and the ability to operate their businesses easily as something that helps them decide whether to rent or stay at a certain property. Many businesses need to have a means for outgoing mail as well as incoming mail, and the right mailboxes can help them avoid time-consuming trips to the post office. Convenience will be more important than looks for business tenants, so consider function over appearance in most cases.

Curbside mailboxes with attractive color schemes likely won’t serve business tenants well, so opting for centralized mailboxes with a few added amenities such as drop boxes may be best. Consider some centralized, outgoing mailboxes that are USPS-approved, which means the postal service will deliver to, and pick up from, these mailboxes directly. You can also purchase mailboxes for private delivery if an employee will be distributing mail among others within the same building.

Wall-mounted collection and drop boxes are a good addition to any renovations, as they allow business tenants to easily send out high volumes of mail every day. They can mount beside 4C mailboxes of the same type, allowing you to create a “mail station.”

Residents of communities and apartment complexes also appreciate the convenience of outgoing mail slots and centralized mail delivery, as well as parcel lockers. This is especially true when the blue USPS collection mailboxes have been vanishing from many neighborhoods.

Are You Replacing Old 4B Mailboxes?

Some types of centralized mailboxes are outdated. The USPS now recommends the new 4C centralized mailboxes, which are more secure and attractive than the older, 4B counterparts. 4C mailboxes have improved locks, combs to prevent mail theft from outgoing slots, and typically have parcel lockers for holding USPS-delivered packages.

4B mailboxes are only approved for installation if you’re replacing the same model that you already have, and only if no other major renovations are taking place in that area of your property. If you are replacing mailboxes as well as renovating for any reason, you will need to upgrade to 4C mailboxes, and consider leaving some extra space beside your mailbox if you plan to grow your property. 4C mailboxes of all types are designed to mount side by side with one another, allowing “add-ons” at later dates. Add-ons can even include stand-alone parcel lockers, collection mailboxes, drop boxes, or simply more tenant compartments.

Renovate Your Mailboxes Right Today.

Here at National Mailboxes, we’re here to answer all your questions about how to use the right mailboxes to run your community, business, or commercial property as well as you can. Contact us today if you have questions about installation or which type of mailbox is right for you.