The Facilities Contract Technician is the person to talk with. Click here to see the most current list and find the technician in the area where your post office is located.
Formal notice under the lease must be sent hardcopy to the following PO Box. Postal Facilities located in, CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, District of Columbia, or Caribbean Territories contact:
East Leasing Team
PO Box 27497
Greensboro, NC 27498-1103
For Postal Facilities located in: AL, AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, IA, ID, KS, LA, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, ND, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY, or Pacific Territories contact:
West Leasing Team
PO Box 5527
Denver, CO 80217-5527
877-642-8775
Yes. AUSPL Insurance is a benefit of membership.
AUSPL Insurance also has a Main Street program. This program covers commercial, non-postal facilities owned by postal Lessors.
Hurricane season is typically June 1 – November 30. If you own a post office in coastal states abutting the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, you are in hurricane territory. Coverage under the AUSPL Insurance Program may be limited if a storm is “Named” by the National Weather Service (e.g. “Arthur” or “Josephine”). Wind damage to a post office in those areas which results from such a “named” storm may not be covered under the basic AUSPL Insurance package. To protect against damage to a building in such areas during a “named” storm, property owners must purchase the optional “Named Storm” coverage available through the AUSPL Insurance Program. Call AUSPL Insurance Program at 877-642-8775 for details.
A commission can be paid, but is not required. However, in deciding whether to pay a commission, the following should be considered:
- A postal lessor has no contract with JLL, or other obligation to pay JLL a commission in connection with a lease renewal. A postal lessor can feel free to negotiate the amount of commission – if any – to be paid to JLL for a lease renewal
- In lieu of a commission, a postal lessor can propose a flat “transaction fee” in an amount acceptable to the lessor.
- In any case in which a lessor is considering paying a commission or transaction fee, the amount of the commission or fee should simply be considered one of the costs the lessor incurs for the renewal. The lessor should add all such costs together and determine whether the rental rate being offered is sufficient to cover the costs and provide the expected level of return over the renewal term.
If not, the lessor can choose to increase the requested rental rate to ensure that all costs of the renewal (including commissions) are adequately repaid through the payment of rent during the renewal term. There is nothing wrong with telling a JLL agent that any commission costs being borne by the lessor are costs that will have to be recovered through the payment of increased rent during the renewal term.
Nearly everything is negotiable. The exceptions are when a renewal option is in place and the postal service exercises that renewal option. In that case, the negotiating was done when the renewal option was written and no further negotiations are needed. And, in the case of the lease for facilities with rents under $25,000, the USPS does not want to negotiate the terms.
No, only USPS has final authority to sign a lease renewal. JLL has been hired to negotiate on behalf of the Postal Service.
The USPS holds the option. The option permits the USPS to decide to renew the lease under the terms specified in the option. If the USPS elects to exercise the option, the lessor must honor the agreement and permit the USPS to renew the lease under the previously agreed terms. Be sure to consult the lease. The option must be exercised within a specific time frame. For example: Some leases may say the option must be exercised more than 30 days prior to the end of the lease term. After that, the USPS cannot exercise the option. Check your lease!
However, the USPS is not obligated to exercise a renewal option. If the USPS chooses to do so, it can attempt to negotiate a renewal of a lease on terms different than the terms of the option. In such a case, the renewal would be handled the same as the renewal of a lease that contains no options.
The form is designed to spot potential conflict of interest and must accompany each lease renewal and/or new lease negotiation, plus any change of ownership. A potential conflict of interest occurs if a landlord is also one of the following: 1) a Postal Service employee; 2) the spouse of a Postal Service employee; 3) A family member of a Postal Service employee and Lessors must describe the relationship; 4) An individual residing in the same household as a Postal Service employee; 5) A controlling shareholder or owner of a business organization leasing space or intending to lease space to USPS and the Lessor is one of the individuals listed in 1-4 above. USPS Legal/Ethics department will review the lease and determine if a conflict exists and take action to resolve it. If none of these categories apply, just check “none” and return the form so it can be filed with the lease.
The Postal Service sets the times. If security is a problem, the lobby will also be locked. Contact the postmaster or the Postal Service if you are concerned.
Currently, USPS reimburses taxes only once per year, regardless of the number of taxing authorities (school, town, county, etc.). Check your tax rider.
USPS will consider tax reimbursements as part of the rent and will include them in the 1099 it sends to lessors. The USPS instructs lessors to refer to the Instructions in the lease when requesting a tax reimbursement. Postal Service reserves a 30-day window for processing once all information is received.