By the time most property managers start comparing apartment package lockers, they've already decided to do something. What is still open is which system, at what size, from which provider.
This guide is organized around the evaluation itself: what to assess, what to verify, and what to ask before signing. It assumes you are not shopping for hardware specifications but for an outcome: deliveries stop reaching your staff.
Almost every sizing mistake traces back to skipping this step. Before comparing systems, gather three numbers.
• Average packages received per week across a typical month.
• Peak weekly volume, usually the first three weeks of December.
• The share of deliveries that will not fit a standard compartment.
Unit count is a poor proxy. Two communities of the same size can differ by a factor of two in delivery volume depending on resident demographics and how many are regular online shoppers.
For scale, a 2018 study by NMHC and Kingsley Associates reported that the average apartment community received about 150 packages per week, rising to roughly 270 during the holidays. Your own numbers will be more useful, and most properties can pull them from a few weeks of manual logs.
Capacity is not just door count. It is door count multiplied by turnover, meaning how quickly residents collect and free compartments.
A locker system sized to your average volume will overflow in December. A bank sized to December will sit half empty for eleven months. Most properties size between the two, then plan for peak with a shorter hold window, reminder notifications, or a package room for overflow.
The door mix matters as much as the total. A configuration weighted toward small compartments will fill on the large end, and the reverse is equally true. A provider should recommend a mix based on your actual delivery profile, not a standard template.
• Property management software. Confirm that the resident roster syncs automatically, and how quickly move-ins and move-outs propagate.
• Resident communication. Check whether notifications go out by text, email, or both, and whether they work alongside your resident app.
• Access control. If the lockers sit inside a secured area, confirm carriers can reach them without a staff escort.
• Network and power. Verify what the installation requires and who is responsible for providing it.
Roster sync is the biggest pain point after go-live. A system that does not update automatically puts your staff back in the loop every time someone moves.
Ask three questions early, because the answers change the timeline.
1. Who performs the installation? Subcontracted crews introduce a second schedule and a second point of accountability. LockerMD uses its own operations team.
2. What does the site need in place? Power, network connectivity, floor conditions, and clearances vary by configuration.
3. What does the transition look like for residents and carriers? Communities that plan the changeover see fewer complaints in the first two weeks than those that switch without notice.
A site visit or floor plan review before the proposal is the single best predictor of an installation that runs on schedule.
The hardware is durable. The service model is what you will actually experience for the next several years.
• Response time. How quickly does a technician reach the property when something fails, and is that commitment in writing?
• Resident support. Does the provider field resident questions and forgotten codes directly, or does that route to your leasing office?
• Staff training. Is training included at go-live, and is it repeated when your team turns over?
• Software updates. Are they included, and do they require on-site work?
Resident support is the most often underestimated line item. A system that sends every code question to your front desk moves the workload rather than removing it.
The evaluation usually ends at the contract, but the first two weeks after go-live determine how the system is received. Two things drive that experience, and both are decided before installation.
The first is resident communication. Residents need to know when the change will take place, how they’ll receive notifications, and what to do the first time they receive a code. Communities that send two notices, one a week in advance and another the day before, tend to field far fewer questions than those that announce the change on the day it happens.
The second is carrier communication. Drivers follow habits, and a driver who has been leaving packages at the front desk for two years will likely keep doing it unless the new destination is obvious. Clear signage at the entrance and at the old drop point closes most of that gap within a few days.
Ask any provider what they supply for both. Signage, resident notice templates, and carrier instructions should come with the system rather than fall to your team to produce.
• What door mix do you recommend for our delivery volume, and how did you arrive at it?
• Who installs, and are they employees or subcontractors?
• What is the service response commitment, and what does it exclude?
• How does a resident get help at 11 p.m. on a Saturday?
• What happens to our configuration if delivery volume grows 30 percent?
• Can we visit a property of similar size and volume that you installed?
The last one is worth insisting on. Reference properties reveal how a system performs under real volume, which no specification sheet does.
LockerMD is the #1 Premier Partner of Luxer One package solutions, providing an end-to-end experience under one roof, from consultation and site review to installation, staff training, and ongoing service. Its dedicated operations team manages the installation process, while Luxer One systems have processed more than 300 million deliveries across approximately 10,000 locations. These solutions are part of the broader package management solutions offered by LockerMD.
But the evaluation starts the same way it should with any provider: by understanding your delivery volume and taking a close look at your available space.
Request a quote to begin with a floor plan review or a site visit.
There is no fixed ratio, because delivery volume varies widely between communities of the same size. Sizing comes from your average and peak weekly package counts and how quickly residents retrieve. A site review using your actual numbers produces a configuration that a unit-count formula cannot.
Yes—but planning for future expansion during the initial installation is essential. Adding doors later depends on having enough space, power, and network capacity at the original location. That’s why you should address expansion during the first site review. A locker bank installed in a tight alcove, for example, may leave little or no room to expand later.
Purchase puts the equipment on the property’s books, with service contracted separately. A subscription, by contrast, bundles the equipment and ongoing service into a recurring cost. The right fit depends on your capital budget, how you account for amenity expenses, and how long your ownership horizon. Both options are quoted on a per-property basis following a site review.
Package handling consistently appears among the amenities renters value in industry preference research, including the NMHC renter preferences work. The effect at your property depends on your resident base and your current process. Communities replacing a visibly failing process tend to see the clearest change.
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