Strata Parcel Lockers: Getting Them Approved and Paid For
To install parcel lockers in a strata building, the owners corporation usually has to approve the work at a meeting, decide which fund pays for it, and choose a spot couriers can reach. In NSW, adding a locker bank to common property normally needs a special resolution. In Victoria it needs one when the change to the use or appearance of common property is significant. In Queensland the approval depends on cost, and a modest locker bank can fall within what the committee can approve. This guide covers the decision and the paperwork. Our parcel lockers overview covers the product and prices.
Why apartment buildings are adding parcel lockers
Online shopping arrives at the lobby. In a building without a concierge, parcels end up on the floor by the letterboxes or in a mailroom that anyone with a fob can open. In a building with a concierge, the desk spends hours a week receiving, logging and handing over parcels. A parcel locker fixes both problems. Couriers deliver straight into a cell, the resident gets a code, and the building has a record of every delivery and collection. Our ROI calculator puts a number on the staff time.
Step 1: Work out what approval your scheme needs
The rules depend on your state and, in Queensland, on the cost. Confirm the details with your strata manager before the meeting, because the type of resolution has to be right for the motion to be valid.
| State | Who decides | What the law says |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Owners corporation at a general meeting | Adding to or altering common property, or erecting a new structure on it, needs a special resolution that specifically authorises that action (Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, s 108). |
| Victoria | Owners corporation | A significant alteration to the use or appearance of common property needs a special resolution, unless it is in the maintenance plan (Owners Corporations Act 2006, s 52; Consumer Affairs Victoria). |
| Queensland (standard module) | Committee or body corporate, by cost | Up to $300 × the number of lots: committee resolution, within the committee’s spending limit (normally $200 × lots). Up to $2,000 × lots: ordinary resolution at a general meeting, once a year. Above that: special resolution (Queensland Government). |
A worked Queensland example. A 120-lot scheme has a committee spending limit of $200 × 120 = $24,000, unless the body corporate has raised it. A locker bank priced below that, and below the $36,000 basic improvement limit, can be approved by the committee as an improvement. As a rough guide, a 50–100-cell building system is roughly A$12,000–30,000 ex GST, so a smaller system may sit within the committee’s limit and a larger one may need a general meeting. Anything up to $240,000 needs an ordinary resolution. Whether lockers count as an improvement or as maintenance is for the committee to judge.
Other states and territories have their own legislation. The same three questions apply: is this an alteration to common property, how much does it cost, and what resolution does that need?
Step 2: Decide who pays, and from which fund
| Cost | Typical treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Locker hardware and installation | One-off capital cost: the capital works fund (NSW) or sinking fund (QLD) | In Victoria, a maintenance fund pays for items in the approved maintenance plan (OCA 2006, s 42) |
| Software (a flat monthly fee of around A$150 per building) | Recurring running cost: the administrative fund | NSW owners corporations must keep both an administrative fund and a capital works fund (SSMA 2015, s 73, s 74) |
| Electrical and data work at the site | Usually one-off, with the hardware | A power point and, if mobile signal is weak, a data point |
Committees usually find it easier to vote on a cost per lot. For a 150-lot building with a 50–100-cell system, that is very roughly A$100–200 per lot in the first year, including software but before delivery and installation. Your quote fixes the figure. We charge no per-parcel fee and nothing to residents. That keeps the cost predictable for the budget and avoids a charge that residents would argue about.
A small bank of about 10 cells with a courier touchscreen typically comes in at a few thousand dollars, roughly A$3,000–7,000 ex GST. A building system of 50–100 cells is roughly A$12,000–30,000 ex GST. On top of that there is a flat monthly software fee of around A$150 per building, with no per-parcel or resident fees. Delivery and installation are quoted per site, and your quote fixes the price.Price enquiry
Ask for a price for your building
Step 3: Choose the spot
- Reachable by couriers without a fob. Inside the main entry, in the mailroom, or at the loading dock. If the lockers sit behind a second secure door, plan how drivers get through it (see below).
- Power and signal. One standard power point per bank, plus another for chilled cells. Check the mobile signal at that exact spot, or run a data cable.
- Clear space. Allow room for doors to open fully and for a courier with a trolley. Put the touchscreen and the most-used cells within easy reach, including for wheelchair users, and keep the very top and bottom rows for overflow.
- Lighting and CCTV. If the lobby already has a camera, put the locker in its view.
- Fire and egress. Keep exit paths and fire equipment clear. Freestanding banks anchored to the floor or wall are the norm. If in doubt, ask your building manager whether the position needs any approval.
Step 4: Plan courier access
The locker lets any driver deliver at its touchscreen, with no account or app. The harder part is often getting the driver to the locker:
- Put the locker before the secure line if the building layout allows. This is the cleanest answer.
- Time-limited door codes for regular drivers, issued and revoked from the building portal, so no permanent fobs go out.
- Tell residents to add the locker to their delivery instructions, for example “Leave in the parcel locker in the lobby”. We do not claim any partnership with a carrier, and whether an individual driver uses the locker is up to the carrier and the driver.
Step 5: Put it to the meeting
A motion that passes first time usually has:
- the written quote and a layout drawing showing where the bank goes;
- the cost per lot and which fund pays;
- the type of resolution your strata manager has confirmed;
- any by-law changes, such as how long a parcel can stay before staff remove it (in NSW, by-law changes need a special resolution);
- who maintains the lockers and what the software fee covers.
Send a price enquiry, choose your strata approval stage and tell us the meeting date. We will send the quote, the drawing and a one-page summary the strata manager can attach to the notice.
A note on where we are
Vending on Track is taking reservations for the first production run of its building parcel lockers. The locker controller, its API and the cloud platform are in service today (see our Programmable Locker). We have no installed strata buildings to point you to yet, so we publish our prices, and we will give your committee a drawing and a firm quote before anyone commits. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Related
- How do parcel lockers work?
- Parcel locker sizes and how many cells you need
- Parcel locker companies in Australia