Upgrading 16 Apartment Mailboxes to Locking Mailboxes for Rental Property Compliance

Bellingham Mailbox •

As mail theft continues becoming more common, many property managers are beginning to replace older non-locking apartment mailboxes with more secure locking mailbox systems.

For this project, a property manager contacted us to upgrade the existing mailboxes at a 16-unit rental property in order to comply with BMC 6.15.050, an ordinance in Bellingham, WA requiring rental properties to provide locking mailboxes for tenants.

The ordinance was designed to help:

  • Reduce mail theft
  • Protect renters from identity theft
  • Support tenant financial security

At this property, each unit had its own non-locking wall-mounted mailbox installed next to the individual front doors.

While the original setup had worked for years, the property manager wanted to improve tenant mail security while also selecting a mailbox system that would be easier to manage long term.

Choosing Locking Mailboxes for a Multi-Unit Property

For the replacement, we proposed using Mail Boss Metro high-security wall-mounted locking mailboxes.

One of the biggest advantages of using the Mail Boss brand for rental properties is simplified key management.

Each mailbox key is uniquely serialized. If replacement keys are needed in the future, additional keys can be ordered directly from Mail Boss using the recorded key code.

For property managers, that creates several long-term advantages:

  • No locksmith visits
  • No rekeying entire mailbox systems
  • Faster replacement turnaround
  • Lower long-term maintenance costs

When managing multiple tenants and unit turnovers, small operational details like key management can make a major difference over time.

Organizing Mailbox Keys for Rental Properties

One recommendation I always give property managers during these projects is to document mailbox information

Keeping a simple record of:

  • Mailbox number
  • Associated tenant or unit
  • Key serial number

can make future key replacement significantly easier.

Without that information, replacing mailbox keys later becomes more work than it needs to be.

Removing the Existing Mailboxes

To begin the installation, we carefully removed each of the existing non-locking wall-mounted mailboxes from the property.

Because the mailboxes were mounted individually beside each front door, the project involved replacing each mailbox one at a time across all 16 units.

Once the original mailboxes were removed, the new locking mailboxes were installed and secured into place.

The Finished Result

What started as:

  • 16 non-locking mailboxes
  • Minimal mail security
  • Aging wall-mounted mailboxes

became:

  • 16 high-security locking mailboxes
  • Improved tenant mail protection
  • A cleaner and more updated appearance
  • A lower-maintenance long-term solution for property management

Projects like this are a good example of how relatively straightforward mailbox upgrades can significantly improve both tenant security and long-term property management efficiency.

The Mail Boss Metro locking mailboxes used in this installation are also available for purchase through our online store:
Mail Boss Metro wall mounted mailbox