New homebuyers get reprieve on community mailbox fee

By Marlene Eisner
September 01, 2015

If the thought of going outside to get your mail in the dead of winter makes you shiver – not to mention having to pay an additional fee to cover the cost of said community mailboxes – maybe this news will warm you up. According to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA), discussions between it and Canada Post have resulted in a reprieve until January 2016 for new homeowners having to pay a $200 Community Mailbox (CMB) fee.

"We are very pleased with this outcome — this is an important victory for CHBA and Canadian homebuyers," says Kevin Lee, CEO, CHBA. "Very importantly, we also send kudos throughout CHBA at the local, provincial and national levels of our Association for the collective effort."

In late 2012, Canada Post announced its intention to charge new-home buyers a $200 Community Mailbox (CMB) fee per mailbox that would be collected during the subdivision process in brand new residential and commercial developments.

Upset by another additional cost when government charges and fees on new homes are already substantial and increasing, the CHBA and its members began a vigorous campaign against the initiative. It seemed to work, at least in the short-term. In July 2013, Canada Post agreed to suspend charging for a community mailbox until January 1, 2014.

The one-year suspension saved the industry and new-home buyers tens of millions of dollars in 2013, which prompted the CHBA to first try and convince Canada Post to reduce the fee, and eventually, actively oppose it outright.

While the reprieve is welcome news for new homebuyers, the decision is not set in stone. According to CHBA, Canada Post stated that although the community mailbox fee is not a necessity right now, it could become so when the crown corporation reviews its financial position in 2019.

Yet another great reason to not put off buying a new home for much longer.

About Marlene Eisner

Marlene Eisner is an award-winning print and online editor and journalist. She has written on many topics including new homes and condos in Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver, and has been the editor for numerous magazines and newspapers in Quebec and Ontario.

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