Tips for Safely Receiving Packages in Your Apartment Building

We’ve all been there before: expectantly awaiting a package only to find it arrives damaged, or worse, doesn’t arrive at all, leaving us to wonder if it got lost in the shipping ether or stolen by porch pirates.

More and more people shopping online inevitably means more and more packages going missing. Studies such as this one conducted by SafeWise discovered that this was indeed the case, with 210 million packages stolen in 2021 alone. So how can apartment dwellers take steps to ensure their packages are delivered safely to their doors? 

While package tracking is a good first step to ensuring you’re always up-to-date on your parcel’s status, it doesn’t always guarantee that your package will actually be there when you go outside to scoop it up. Luckily, there are a number of other things you can do to keep your packages safe and make home deliveries run as smoothly as possible.

Below are some of our top tips for protecting your packages:

Information Errors

Incorrect information is often the culprit when it comes to missed deliveries. While your regular postal delivery worker may be familiar with your address, or even specific instructions involving delivery (such as to deliver to the lobby or around the back), it’s unlikely that you’ll be lucky enough to have the same Amazon or UPS delivery driver every time, which is why it’s so important to make sure you enter the correct shipping information whenever you place an online order.

Double-Check Your Personal Info

This includes making sure your address is entered correctly, including apartment number, street name, and zip code. While this may seem like a no-brainer, it definitely affects your package’s delivery.

Give Your Carriers Delivery Instructions

This may not always be possible, but if you have the opportunity to offer your carrier instructions, you should definitely do it. Keep them friendly and easy-to-follow, but remember that even this can’t ensure your package’s arrival every time.

Get the Goods

Even those of us lucky enough to work from home can’t always be there to receive our packages. After all, there are more important things to do in a day than stand guard outside your building awaiting your Target delivery. That being said, it does help to have a plan for receiving your packages in person, if possible — and this is where notifications become especially useful.

Don’t Let Your Packages Linger

If you don’t think you’ll be around to receive your package in person, consider requiring a signature for delivery. For longer absences like that long-awaited vacay, try having your mail put on hold to ensure parcels and packages aren’t missed in your absence.

A Helping Hand

Despite your best laid plans, there are still so many factors that could change. Your package could be delivered early; you could receive a notification of delivery before the actual delivery; or despite your instructions, your package is could still be left somewhere less than ideal. This is where it helps to employ a helping hand in the form of a person or persons you can trust to collect your packages in your absence, or even notify you when a package is delivered.

Ask Your Property Manager

If you live in a building or apartment complex that has an on-site management office, you should check to see if the property manager can accept packages on your behalf, hold packages, or let you know when you have a package. This could be an invaluable resource and a great way to keep your packages safe — just be sure to check first, as delivery policies vary. Having a good relationship with your property manager or on-site landlord helps here, and the same goes for doormen and concierges. 

Neighborly Love

While it isn’t always possible to get to know your neighbors personally (especially if you live in a large complex), a good neighbor is never a bad thing. If you arelucky enough to have a neighbor you can trust, you may be able to ask them to grab packages and hold them for you when you aren’t home. Just be sure to thank them and return the favor!

If, despite all your best efforts, you continue to have packages go missing or disappear, it may be time to consider having them delivered elsewhere, such as a P.O. Box, alternate address, or the carrier facility itself. Though this is not ideal, in some cases, it may be the only way to guarantee you receive your packages safely. But before you resort to this extreme, be sure to follow the above tips to give your parcels a chance to get exactly where they belong.