The Condo Manager's Holiday Playbook

When deliveries stack up, the front desk feels it first. Packages pile in, space runs out, and staff spend their time sorting and tracking instead of helping residents. Without a clear system, delays and lost items frustrate residents.

A consistent package process helps everyone. Residents get timely, dependable pickup, and staff get time back for other work. Whether you use lockers, digital tracking, or both, the goal is the same: every package reaches the right resident without overloading your team or your residents.

Holiday package challenges for staff

• High-volume deliveries
• Misplaced or delayed packages
• Long resident lines at the front desk
• Limited lobby or mailroom space
• Difficulty tracking packages
• Liability for lost or damaged packages
• Extra staff hours spent managing deliveries

How BuildingLink supports package handling

With ImageR, a free feature of the GEO app, staff point a phone camera at the shipping label. ImageR reads the name and barcode from the label and fills in the unit number, so nobody types each package into the event log by hand.

Residents choose how they hear about a delivery: a push notification in the BuildingLink app, an email, or an SMS. Our package management system page covers the full workflow.

If your community uses package lockers, BuildingLink integrates with Package Concierge, Snaile, and Luxer One, along with other lockers listed on our package management integrations page. The integrations sync locker data with BuildingLink, and with Package Concierge and Snaile, residents pick up their packages with a barcode from the BuildingLink app.

Packages stay in the event log's open list until staff close them, so the front desk can see what is still waiting for pickup.

Package management checklist

• Scan incoming packages with ImageR so the label details fill in automatically.
• If you use lockers, confirm before the season starts that your locker system is syncing with BuildingLink.
• Check that resident email addresses and notification preferences are current, so package alerts reach the right people.
• Review the open packages in the event log at the end of each shift and follow up on any that residents have not picked up.
• Review package logs periodically for patterns, bottlenecks, or missing items.
• Train staff on ImageR and on any locker system you use.
• Adjust the front desk workflow for peak delivery days to prevent backlogs.

The end of the year is when residents thank the people who keep the building running, from maintenance and cleaning staff to the front desk and management team. Cash envelopes take time to organize and are hard to track.

TippingLink is BuildingLink's digital tipping software for staffed residential communities. Residents tip from a phone or computer by credit card or ACH bank transfer, and they can attach a personal message to a tip. Building staff receive 100% of their tips, and the TippingLink fee is shown at checkout before a resident pays. Tip information is privacy-protected, and management is not shown individual tip details.

Each staff member creates a TippingLink profile, verifies their identity, and adds their bank details. Resident tips appear instantly for staff in TippingLink. Transfers into TippingLink and out to staff bank accounts can each take up to 1-2 business days to process.

Announce your tipping program early and give residents and staff simple, clear instructions. Staff need time to finish their profiles, and residents need time to hear about it before the busiest weeks. Whether to tip, and how much, is each resident's decision, so leave amounts out of your announcement.

TippingLink checklist for property managers

• Add staff from your BuildingLink employee directory, or add them manually.
• Ask each staff member to create their profile, and send a reminder to anyone who has not finished.
• Tell residents that TippingLink is available, using the invite email template or the direct link to your community's tipping page.
• Share step-by-step instructions for using the platform with staff and residents.

Resident events build community spirit during the holidays, from tree lightings and potlucks to charity drives and simple gatherings. They give residents a reason to meet their neighbors.

Good event planning starts with clear communication and organization. Send notices early, coordinate with vendors or volunteers, and adjust staff schedules so the event has proper coverage. Small touches, such as lobby decorations or music, change how residents experience the season.

Event planning strategies

• Schedule early. Early scheduling avoids overlaps with other community activities, gives you time to book vendors, and lets residents save the date.
• Secure permits and approvals. For events in common areas or with outside vendors, confirm the permits, insurance, and approvals you need ahead of time, including any your board or governing documents require.
• Line up vendors or volunteers. Whether you need caterers, entertainers, or volunteer help, book your team early so everyone knows their role before the event.
• Assign staff coverage. Map out who covers set-up, check-in, and clean-up. Clear assignments keep the load off any one person.

Communication strategies with BuildingLink

• Send notices well in advance. Announcements post to the public display, the resident app, and the resident site, and you can send them by email in the same step.
• Provide complete event details. Include the date, time, and location, and attach any flyer or document residents need to an email. BuildingLink supports email attachments up to 40MB in total.
• Send reminders and updates. Follow up with a message when the schedule changes or a detail is added.
• Track RSVPs. When you add an event to the calendar, you can let residents RSVP. You can view the responses and export an attendee list to PDF, which helps you plan staff coverage.

Holiday event prep checklist

• Set the event date.
• Secure vendors or volunteers.
• Send resident invitations.
• Decorate the common areas.
• Assign staff coverage.

The close of the year is the right time to review your community's budget for the year ahead. Look at where the money went, including maintenance, repairs, bonuses, and operating costs, and compare it against your budget projections.

Use what you find to set priorities for the coming year. Factor in reserve allocations, upcoming projects, and expected costs, and include recurring professional services such as accounting, management software, and reserve studies. Regular check-ins during the year help you catch surprises early, and a clear budget builds trust with your board and residents.

Smart budgeting practices

• Fund preventative maintenance. Set aside money for regular inspection and upkeep of HVAC systems, plumbing, roofing, and other major building systems. In BuildingLink, the recurring tasks module creates maintenance requests at the intervals you set, and the equipment directory holds purchase dates, costs, and warranty information to plan from.
• Review historical data. Look at past expenses and maintenance records to spot repeat repairs and rising costs. BuildingLink's maintenance reports pull more detail from the maintenance module than the request search does.
• Plan for professional services. List recurring costs such as legal support, accounting, software subscriptions, elections, reserve studies, and management fees, so none of them surprises you mid-year.
• Tell residents about fee changes early. If resident fees need to change, announce it early and clearly through your BuildingLink email and announcements. Fee changes follow your governing documents and board approval, so check both before you announce anything.
• Monitor budget actuals regularly. Review financial performance each quarter, and share updates with board members or your accountant.

To share a budget summary with the board, you can post it in the BuildingLink library and limit who sees it, including board members only.

Year-end budget review checklist

• Review past expenses.
• Review year-end staff bonus decisions with the board.
• Plan reserve allocations.
• Document upcoming projects.
• Share a summary with the board.