Not having post delivered, or mail going missing can cause big problems for Community Presidents and Owners. To protect owners there are a number of legislations which specify what kind of mailbox each community needs to have and where they should be. Below is an overview of the rules and regulations.
There is legislation which states that all communities have rights to mail services and that there should be mailboxes installed in doorways of communities and properties. The developers and builders are obligated to install mailboxes by building law and they should assume the cost of purchase and installation as part of the project.
Each property has a right to having a mailbox for their own private use, but the boxes themselves are considered as part of the communal space and therefore the community is responsible for maintaining the boxes.
Believe it or not there are specific stipulations by the Postal Service Act to how a mailbox should be. It states that residential mailboxes “must have the necessary features to guarantee the security and privacy of the post”. There must be a mailbox reserved for post to be returned to sender, or delivered in error. Mailboxes should be numbered “from left to right and top to bottom, sorted by floors and doors” and securely fixed to a wall in an easily accessible place and at a height which makes them easy to access.
If your mailboxes don’t comply with these rules and this is reported they will inform the community president what needs to be fixed and until the problems are rectified post will be kept at the local post office.
We have lots more information on community issues in Spain, but if you have any particular questions for our experts we’d be happy to answer them.