A Property Manager’s Guide to Resident Package Management Solutions

With e-commerce accounting for more than 20% of retail sales this year, package delivery is skyrocketing at multifamily properties.¹ Further, customer expectations are surging for same-day delivery, free shipping, real-time tracking, and delivery flexibility, causing additional last-mile delivery challenges. Finding a package management solution means addressing porch piracy, mailroom inefficiencies, resident satisfaction, and property liability issues. Consider this blog your guide to the package management software and solutions available to property managers and how to find one that meets your needs, scales, and delivers more for your residents.

The Challenges Consuming Community Managers’ Time

Property managers are juggling many duties, including the pressing needs for resident recruitment and retention. Adding package management to the mix takes away from these critical tasks while introducing additional common package problems.

Manual Delivery Processes

Every package that arrives at a property requires multiple labor-intensive touchpoints: logging it into the system, sorting it by unit, finding storage space, and sending delivery notifications to residents. These seemingly simple tasks add up quickly; property staff spend an average of 30 hours per week managing package storage.² This time, of course, could be dedicated to resident engagement, property improvements, or leasing activities. During peak periods, like Prime sales or the holidays, the workload can become so overwhelming that properties may need to hire part-time or even full-time staff to keep up. Package surges don’t just strain budgets; they drive burnout and turnover among property teams who are already stretched thin.

Compromised Property Aesthetics & Security

When package volumes exceed storage capacity, the results are visible and problematic. Overflowing package storage rooms and common areas become aesthetic eyesores that undermine the premium living experience residents expect. These package pileups also create operational chaos, making it difficult for both staff and residents to locate specific packages in package storage areas. Beyond appearances and efficiency, accumulated packages pose a serious security risk. Properties with visible package pileups are attractive targets for theft, putting residents’ belongings at risk and potentially exposing property management to liability.

Carrier Access Issues

Secure apartment building access is a double-edged sword: it’s a feature residents value, but it creates an unintended consequence for package delivery. When delivery drivers can’t access package rooms or storage areas independently, they’re forced to interrupt property staff for assistance. Each interruption pulls team members away from their primary responsibilities, fragmenting their workday and reducing productivity. These constant disruptions create last-mile delivery challenges as drivers wait for help or skip deliveries entirely. The result? Frustrated couriers, overwhelmed staff, delayed packages, and unhappy residents who wonder why their deliveries haven’t arrived.

Additional Risks & Liabilities Posed by Manual Package Processes

Manual package management systems are not only inefficient but also cause other problems for multifamily communities and their residents.

Package Theft

Once a courier delivers a package to a storage or common area, liability for the delivery transfers to the property. Unfortunately, porch piracy is rampant, with more than 58 million Americans reporting having packages stolen in the past year.³ Not surprisingly, then, package security is essential for apartment residents, who experience theft at more than three times the rate of single-family homeowners; a 2025 NBRI survey found that 95% of responding apartment residents agreed with the statement, “Knowing my package is secure…is important to me.”^4,5 And every theft or damage claim increases staff workload and erodes trust with residents.

Resident Dissatisfaction

As part of the larger last-mile delivery equation, residents are demanding real-time delivery alerts. With a manual package management system, residents don’t receive automated notices when their packages arrive, leaving them frustrated and unsatisfied when they have to wait for the property team to process their delivery. Further eroding resident satisfaction is the inability to access packages 24/7.

Inadequate Mail Infrastructure

Residents’ delivery needs are evolving rapidly, and traditional storage solutions can’t keep pace. Today’s residents receive oversized packages that don’t fit in standard storage areas, perishable groceries that require refrigeration, and medications that need temperature control and verified access for compliance. Manual package systems weren’t meant to handle the specialized storage, security protocols, and environmental controls evolving delivery needs require.

The Strategic Solution: Automated Package Management

The future of package management solutions is an automated system that meets residents’ delivery needs while improving operational efficiency and addressing carriers’ last-mile delivery challenges.

Self-Service Package Access for Carriers & Residents

Smart parcel lockers and package rooms add a layer of security that eliminates the need for property staff to serve as intermediaries in the delivery process. Carriers can deliver packages directly into secure systems without interrupting or waiting for staff assistance. The moment a package is logged into the system, residents receive instant notifications and can retrieve their items 24/7 at their convenience. No more waiting for office hours or standing in line. This automated handoff transforms package management from a labor-intensive daily burden into a seamless, self-service experience that benefits everyone involved.

Auditable Security and Reporting

Every package entering a smart locker or package room is logged and secured until the rightful recipient collects it. These systems create a complete digital trail by logging each delivery and capturing photos at every access point, establishing a verified chain of custody from carrier drop-off to resident pick-up. This documentation ends the confusion and disputes around access control and missing packages while protecting the property’s reputation. When residents know exactly when their package arrived and can see proof of its secure storage, trust increases, and staff workload related to package inquiries and theft claims virtually disappears.

Carrier-Agnostic and Specialized Delivery Solutions

Modern package room systems and smart parcel lockers work with all major carriers, including USPS, Amazon, UPS, FedEx, and more. This ensures that no deliveries are turned away due to system limitations. But today’s all-in-one solutions can also go beyond standard packages.

Refrigerated lockers provide climate-controlled storage for perishable deliveries like groceries and temperature-sensitive medications, addressing residents’ evolving needs for fresh food delivery and prescription services. Parcel Pending by Quadient also offers oversized lockers and locker-controlled package rooms to accommodate oversized packages (e.g, furniture) or overflow deliveries, ensuring properties have the flexibility to handle any delivery scenario without staff intervention or storage constraints.

Reclaiming Value: From Package Management to Property Management

Secure package management automation is no longer a luxury; it is essential to continued success in the e-commerce age. Here are a few of the benefits of smart package lockers for your property teams and residents.

Reclaiming Staff Time

With package lockers automating the delivery process, property staff can be freed up for more important resident-facing activities. Brickell on the River, a luxury residential community in Miami’s upscale Brickell neighborhood, demonstrates the tangible staff efficiency gains automated package management delivers. Before implementing smart lockers, the front desk faced constant interruptions. Every time a resident requested a package, staff had to step away from reception for 3-4 minutes to locate and retrieve it from the storage room. These interruptions occurred dozens of times a day, fragmenting workflows and creating long wait times for other residents seeking assistance.

The impact of package storage lockers has been transformative. Maritza Gonzalez, General Manager at Brickell on the River, explains the dramatic difference: “Thus far, we have processed 6,000+ packages per month through the lockers. Can you imagine how many times throughout the day the staff must step away from their desks to facilitate this number of packages? So, the lockers have been amazing for the front desk.”

The math is compelling. At 6,000 packages per month and 3-4 minutes per retrieval, the property eliminated approximately 300-400 hours of monthly staff time previously spent walking to storage rooms and searching for packages. This efficiency allowed Brickell on the River to reduce one headcount from the receiving team while simultaneously improving the resident experience with 24/7 package access.

Optima Camelview, an upscale Scottsdale, Arizona condominium, also achieved quantifiable results with an automated package management solution of smart lockers. It saw a 66% reduction in time spent on package management; the property’s concierge staff no longer have to manually notify residents or deliver packages, saving close to 126 hours per week. And City Lights at Town Center, a 793-unit apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, saves approximately 30 hours per week on average and up to 120 hours per week during the peak holiday period.

Reducing Resident Complaints

Smart lockers’ security and convenience also play a significant role in reducing resident complaints and improving resident satisfaction. For instance, package theft was escalating at Plaza Hills, a residential community managed by FirstService Residential. Making matters worse, perpetrators were damaging the property while attempting to access packages, creating an untenable situation for both residents and management. “People don’t always report package theft to me because I’m not on-site, so when they do, I pay attention,” says Marissa Greene, Property and Portfolio Manager at FirstService Residential. “When I began getting multiple reports of missing packages, I realized there was a real problem.”

To address the crisis, FirstService Residential installed a smart locker solution from Parcel Pending by Quadient; the results exceeded expectations. Greene explained the impact: “This was a very meaningful success for us, being able to solve such a significant package theft issue…The board is happy we’re not incurring unexpected expenses for repairs and the residents are relieved and thrilled with the new package system. Everyone wins…except the thieves.”

Increasing Resident Satisfaction

Smart lockers also boost resident satisfaction. Although the initial goal at AG Living, a multifamily housing operator that manages six properties in the Dallas, Texas area, was to address insufficient package storage capacity and technical malfunctions with a competitive package locker solution, management quickly discovered additional value the amenity brings. As Greg Gantt, Director of Construction at AG Living’s parent company, Ashland Greene, explains, “Prospective residents often highlight the lockers as a standout amenity during property tours. People have come to expect lockers when they step onto a property at this point,” he adds. “They want that convenience.”

This sentiment is reinforced by Leah Meyer, Assistant Community Manager, at Flats at MacArthur: “Residents absolutely love the system. They’re allowed to continue their busy lives with the peace of mind that their packages are secure and they can access them 24/7 on their own schedule.”

Creating a Revenue Stream

Properties can also use smart locker solutions to create a revenue stream for their property. Communities can structure registration and late pick-up fees as part of broader amenity packages, enabling new features without immediate rent increases while potentially boosting long-term occupancy. AG Living seamlessly integrated locker fees into its amenity package, balancing property revenue with resident affordability. And Winther Investments, an upscale multifamily development company in Houston, implemented a flat monthly fee structure for its smart locker system. Both models demonstrate how smart lockers can transform package management solutions from operational expenses into revenue-generating amenities that residents value.

Ready to Simplify Your Property’s Package Management?

An automated, smart package management solution is the future for multifamily property managers. Solutions like smart lockers and smart package rooms help meet residents’ demand for convenience, increase resident satisfaction, reduce theft, boost staff efficiency, save time, and even turn costs into a revenue-generating opportunity.

Learn more about Parcel Pending by Quadient’s package management automation solutions that integrate security, convenience, and staff efficiency by speaking with one of our package management experts today.

Sources:

1. Lebow, Sara. Ecommerce to account for more than 20% of worldwide retail sales despite slowdown. www.emarketer.com. May 22, 2025. https://www.emarketer.com/content/ecommerce-account-more-than-20–of-worldwide-retail-sales-despite-slowdown
2. Based on 1 hour per 15 packages for a 250-unit community, assuming each resident receives 1-2 packages per week.
3. Reuter, Dominick. Insuring deliveries against porch pirates requires some surprisingly tricky math, but one founder says he’s figured it out. www.businessinsider.com. December 7, 2024. https://www.businessinsider.com/insuring-deliveries-against-porch-pirates-takes-tricky-math-ceo-says-2024-12
4. Frew, Paul & Petrino, Gene. 2025 Package Theft Report and Statistics. www.security.org. November 6, 2025. https://www.security.org/package-theft/annual-report/
5. Parcel Pending by Quadient. 2025 Resident Preferences Report. www.parcelpending.com. October 31, 2025. https://www.parcelpending.com/en-us/resources/2025-resident-preferences-report/