Who is responsible for cluster mailbox repairs? Audit shows even USPS is confused

Many residents across Houston, from Stafford to Kingwood, have faced a troubling issue: they get little help after vandals and thieves damage cluster mailboxes in their subdivisions. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) informs them that they and their homeowners associations (HOAs) must cover the costs of repairs or replacements.

Despite repeated requests for clarification, USPS has not provided written documentation to support this policy.

A recent audit sheds light on what people in Houston are dealing with.

Related: ‘It’s a disaster’: USPS audit reveals mail theft costs customers thousands of dollars

Between May 2023 and January 2025, 84 repair tickets were submitted for cluster box units in Houston due to theft, break-ins, vandalism, lock replacements, and other maintenance issues.

• The Houston postmaster stated that it is not the postal service’s responsibility to fix or replace these mailboxes.
• However, management at USPS headquarters claims the opposite.

We’ve shown you this problem time and time again in neighborhoods around Houston.

After 2017, neighborhoods were supposed to establish agreements or contracts with USPS to clarify ownership of the mailboxes.

Yet, in a sample of 45 cluster box units, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that 40 of the agreements were never submitted or filed.

The remaining five agreements could not be located because they were saved on a retired employee’s computer.

Frank Albergo, president of the Postal Police Association, commented on the situation, saying, “It’s just a classic case of bureaucratic inertia, where no one takes accountability, no one is a problem solver. Everyone points the finger at someone else, and this is the problem. And you see what happens.”

The OIG can only make recommendations to address the issues uncovered during the investigation; they cannot compel USPS to take action.

Here are the detailed findings regarding Cluster Box Units (CBUs) from the USPS audit report:

Overview of Cluster Box Units

• The audit sampled 78 individual CBUs from a total of 14,697 unique CBU addresses served by the Beechnut, Debora Sue Schatz, and T W House Stations in Houston, TX. This sampling was part of the assessment of the physical condition and management of these units.

Deficiencies Observed

• Condition of CBUs: The audit found that 19 CBUs (24%) had at least one deficiency, which included:
• Corrosion: 18 CBUs (23%), Door Gaps: 2 CBUs (3%)
• Specific Issues: At the Beechnut Station, one CBU had an unsecured, open mail slot, and another had a broken parcel box lock, which prevented the package key from securing the door.
• The Debora Sue Schatz Station had one CBU with an open outgoing mail slot and another CBU that was completely unsecured.

Management Awareness and Responsibilities

• Management at the Debora Sue Schatz Station was not aware of the requirement to perform annual condition reviews for CBUs and blue collection boxes.
• Management at both the Beechnut and T W House Stations believed they were not responsible for conducting these required reviews.
• Carriers reported issues with CBUs to management, who then sent notifications to the Homeowners’ Association (HOA) for repairs. However, management did not submit CBU tickets to maintenance, assuming that all CBUs were now HOA-owned or privately owned.

Policy Compliance and Recommendations

• Postal Service Policy: The audit highlighted that Postal Service policy mandates that blue collection boxes and CBUs must undergo annual safety inspections. However, management did not consistently perform these inspections, leading to increased risks of mail theft due to damaged boxes.
• Recommendation #10: The Texas 2 District Manager should address the deficiencies identified at the Beechnut, Debora Sue Schatz, and T W House Stations.
• Recommendation #11: Establish and provide regularly recurring training to station management on the requirement to complete annual safety inspections, remediate deficiencies, and document the results for the blue collection boxes and cluster box units.

Conclusion

The audit findings indicate significant gaps in the management and oversight of cluster box units, which could lead to vulnerabilities in mail security. The recommendations aim to enhance accountability and ensure that necessary inspections and maintenance are conducted to protect the integrity of the mail system.

The audit also looked into mail theft and surprising findings at popular post offices in Houston.