If the LPO does not service the mailbox, this means the property owner or manager is responsible for the maintenance. The US Postal Service® does not maintain personal mailboxes: The property owner is responsible for the repair of personal boxes.
According to USPS's Postal Operations Manual, “Purchase, installation, and maintenance of mail receptacles are the responsibility of the customer.” So it is best just to alert the property owner about these sorts of problems (or handle the repairs yourself if you are the property owner), though you can always get in ...
It depends on who damaged it. If it was the carrier, you would contact the post office. If it was a city worker( snowplow) contact them. If someone damaged it and you don't know who did it you will probably just have to replace it. It is the customer's responsibility to make sure they have a mailbox.
If you have information on mailbox vandalism or mail theft in your area, report it to your local Post Office™ or to the Postal Inspection Service at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).
According to USPS regulations, the property owners, builders, or developers are responsible for cluster mailboxes.
U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)
The US Postal Service® does not maintain personal mailboxes: The property owner is responsible for the repair of personal boxes.
Simply put, USPS is liable for damaged property and you may file a tort claim to request compensation for your loss.
Report suspected mail losses to Postal Inspectors by calling 877-876-2455 or at www.uspis.gov.
The USPS will inform you that your mailbox is unserviceable and thereafter they will hold your mail at the local post office for 2 weeks. If you do not fix the mailbox within this time then the post office may/can return the mail as undeliverable and return the letter to the sender.
Other structures coverage comes standard with most home insurance policies and covers structures on your property that are not attached to your house, like fences, a detached guest house, detached garages, mailboxes and sheds.
A residential mailbox costs around $12 to $900, while a mail slot costs $25 to $325. It depends on the mailbox type and material. You can buy mailbox kits in construction, home improvement, and hardware stores. You can also get fully assembled mailboxes and those with locks and keys.
While the USPS sets specific standards and regulations for mailboxes, the homeowner or property owner owns the physical mailbox. This ownership provides the freedom to select the design and location of your mailbox, provided it follows USPS regulations.
You can call the post office and ask about your community's mailbox. We did that for one of our rental units, after several locks were damaged in a vandalism spree. Because the Post Office owned the box, they sent someone out to fix it.
Under the mailbox rule, an offer is considered accepted the moment the offeree mails their letter, rather than when the offeror receives the letter in the mail. The mailbox rule also applies to other means of communication, such as a fax, telegram, or email, provided that it is irrevocable once sent.
Please speak with your residential building owner or manager, as they are responsible for purchasing, installing, and maintaining mailboxes. Your local residential building complex is also responsible for individual locks on the boxes and may keep a duplicate key to these locks.
Damaging a mailbox is a federal crime
Per the U.S. Code, anyone who willfully damages or destroys any mailbox or other similar receptacle meant to receive mail is guilty of a federal offense. The law also prohibits anyone from breaking open a mailbox to destroy the mail inside.
Call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or TTY: 711. Locate your local post office to speak with your station manager.
Not having a proper mailbox is a violation and the unit is considered uninhabitable according to CA law.
Curbside Mailboxes
If a homeowner's curbside mailbox has been severely damaged to the point where it can no longer safely contain mail, he or she is responsible for repairing it. The homeowner must repair the damaged mailbox. Otherwise, the USPS may not service it.
Although mailboxes are the responsibility of the customer/property owner as defined U.S. Postal Service™ Post Office Manual Section 632, mailboxes are considered federal property, and federal law (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1705), makes it a crime to vandalize them (or to injure, deface or destroy any mail ...
No United States Postal Letter Carrier shall be allowed to cross the lawns of private property owners, lessee, or persons in charge thereof, without the prior express consent of the owner, lessee, or other person in charge thereof.
If the box is owned and maintained by the US Postal Service and is damaged/broken, contact your local Post Office. Information and assistance is available online and by phone. Visit the USPS website. Contact the USPS.
USPS says the property owners, builders, or developers are responsible for cluster mailboxes. This means if the CBU is broken or damaged the property owner is responsible for fixing it.
USPS started its widescale upgrade of mail collection boxes in May 2023 amid rising crime involving letter carriers and mail theft. Since the start of October, the Postal Inspection Service reports 73% more arrests for letter carrier robberies over the same period the previous year.