On-Site vs Off-Site Package Lockers: What Residents Prefer

Do residents prefer on-site or off-site package management?

Residents strongly prefer on-site package lockers. In a survey of residents at more than 20 apartment properties that replaced on-site Luxer One lockers and package rooms with an off-site package management service, 79% said they would rather have the on-site lockers back, according to Luxer One (March 2023). Only 13% preferred the off-site service, and 8% had no preference.

The same survey found that 53% of residents were less likely to renew their lease after the switch, according to Luxer One (March 2023). For property managers and owners deciding where package lockers belong, or whether to remove them, those two numbers frame the decision: it is a resident retention question as much as an operations question.

What is the difference between on-site and off-site package management?

On-site package management keeps deliveries at the property. Carriers drop packages into secure lockers or a package room, residents get a notification, and they pick up on their own schedule, 24/7, using their own home address.

Off-site package management moves packages away from the property. As Luxer One describes it, residents ship to a third-party warehouse address instead of their actual mailing address, then schedule a delivery window when a driver brings the package to their door. Luxer One compares it to waiting for a cable installation window.

What did the Luxer One survey measure?

According to Luxer One (March 2023), the company surveyed 199 residents at more than 20 properties that moved from Luxer One to an off-site package management provider. Every respondent had used the new off-site service for at least 60 days before answering.

Residents were asked:

• How happy they were with the on-site locker service when it was in use
• How happy they were with the current off-site delivery service
• What they liked most, and what frustrated them most, about door-to-door delivery
• Whether they would keep the off-site service or go back to on-site lockers
• Whether the change made them more or less likely to renew their lease

How did residents rate on-site lockers compared with off-site delivery?

On a five-point scale, the average resident rating was 4.18 for on-site lockers versus 2.31 for off-site package management, according to Luxer One (March 2023).

The distribution makes the gap clearer:

• On-site lockers: 83% of residents rated the service 4 or 5 stars, and 51% gave it 5 out of 5, according to Luxer One (March 2023).
• Off-site delivery: 21% of residents rated the service 4 or 5 stars, and 38% gave it 1 out of 5, according to Luxer One (March 2023).

Why do residents dislike off-site package management?

When residents were asked what they disliked about the off-site service, the top complaints were structural, not service hiccups. According to Luxer One (March 2023):

1. 86% disliked having to provide an alternate address when shopping online
2. 79% disliked losing 24/7 access to their packages
3. 67% cited delivery delays
4. 37% cited poor service from delivery representatives

Luxer One's report points out that these are core features of the off-site model. A property team cannot fix them with better communication, because the warehouse address, the scheduling window, and the extra transit step are how the model works.

One resident from Austin, TX, quoted in the report, summed up the access issue: "I'd rather have Luxer One than the package service that is presently available, because I could retrieve my packages whenever I wanted to, whereas with this service you have to be at home in order to receive your packages. Very inconvenient!"

Is there anything residents like about off-site delivery?

Yes. Door-to-door delivery itself is popular. When asked what they liked about the off-site service, 90% of residents pointed to the convenience of door-to-door delivery, according to Luxer One (March 2023). Far fewer mentioned friendly delivery people (2%) or speed and accuracy (20%). Residents liked not carrying boxes; they did not like the tradeoffs required to get that.

Does removing on-site package lockers hurt lease renewals?

For most respondents, it did. According to Luxer One (March 2023), after their property switched from on-site lockers to off-site package management:

• 53% said they were less likely to renew their lease because of the change
• 43% said the change had no impact on whether they would stay
• 4% said they were more likely to renew

A resident from Plano, TX, quoted in the report, put it directly: "Luxer One is an excellent service and one of the main reasons we continued to live at this location. Since it's gone, we will strongly consider moving."

For an owner, this is the number that matters most. Any reduction in front-desk package traffic has to be weighed against the cost of turnover if a majority of residents start reconsidering their renewal.

What should property managers consider before moving lockers off-site?

If you are weighing whether to keep, remove, or replace on-site lockers, the survey suggests a few practical checks:

• 24/7 access. Residents value picking up packages on their own schedule. Any model that requires them to be home during a window removes that.
• Home address. Asking residents to ship to a warehouse address creates friction every time they shop online, and it affects friends and family who send gifts.
• Added delay. Same-day and next-day shipping lose value when an extra transit step is added after the carrier delivers.
• Renewal exposure. Compare any operational savings against the renewal risk the survey points to.
• Ask your own residents. A short survey before making a change is far cheaper than finding out at renewal time.

If your current lockers are the issue (too few small doors, frequent failures, or poor support), the fix may be a better configured on-site system rather than removing on-site pickup entirely. You can explore smart package lockers for apartment communities or talk with a specialist about your property's delivery volume.

What are the limits of this data?

The survey is useful, but it has clear boundaries, and Luxer One states several of them in the report itself:

• Every respondent had previously used Luxer One lockers, so the results compare Luxer One specifically against off-site package management.
• Luxer One notes the results are not necessarily representative of other locker providers.
• The study was published by Luxer One, which has an interest in on-site lockers.
• The survey compares on-site lockers with off-site warehouse delivery. It does not measure moving a locker bank to a different spot on the same property.

FAQ

What percentage of residents prefer on-site package lockers?

79% of surveyed residents preferred on-site lockers over the off-site package management service their property had switched to, according to Luxer One (March 2023). 13% preferred the off-site service and 8% had no preference.

How much lower is resident satisfaction with off-site package management?

Residents gave on-site lockers an average rating of 4.18 out of 5 and off-site package management an average of 2.31 out of 5, according to Luxer One (March 2023).

Are residents less likely to renew after package lockers are removed?

In the survey, 53% of residents said they were less likely to renew their lease after their property moved from on-site lockers to off-site package management, according to Luxer One (March 2023). Only 4% said they were more likely to renew.

What do residents dislike most about off-site package delivery?

According to Luxer One (March 2023), the top complaints were having to use an alternate shipping address (86%), losing 24/7 access to packages (79%), and delivery delays (67%).

How long does it take to install on-site package lockers?

Installation typically takes 4-6 weeks from a signed agreement.

Sources: Luxer One, Delivering Resident Satisfaction (resident survey white paper, March 2023).