It’s the time of giving – to your family, to your boss, to your friends, and even to the guy that receives those Amazon gift deliveries for all the special people in your life. Living in any type of apartment building in New York means you have plenty of people to take care of during the holidays. It’s customary to tip the staff at your building, even for those living in a walk-up, to show your thanks and appreciation for all the support they provided for you during the year.
For many tenants, especially those that are new to the city, it can be confusing to know who to tip and how much. Some tenants could have a super (or a few), a doorman (or as many as half a dozen), a concierge, a fitness center attendant and more. It’s not always as straight forward as tipping just one doorman and one super.
Your first question may be – do I have to tip at all? Of course not. Tipping is not a requirement of living in a New York apartment, but it’s pretty standard. It’s even more so when you’ve depended a lot on your building staff. For instance, your super did some out of the ordinary repairs like installing a fancy new light fixture for you, or your doorman received an excessive number of packages that resulted from your online shopping addiction.
So what are the standards? For a super or resident manager that attends to things like repairs and the trash, $75 to $175 is customary. This range could depend on how closely you have worked with your super, and how many repairs he has assisted with in your unit. As for a doorman or concierge that will perform activities like receiving your packages and calling you when you have guests, $25 to $150 per doorman is typically the range. Some buildings will have additional maintenance staff, porters or handymen staff where $20 to $30 per person should be sufficient. If your building has a parking garage that you use, $25 to $75 is the average for a garage attendant.
It’s always important to check with your co-op, property management company or apartment staff regarding tipping standards as many buildings with large staffs opt for a tipping pool. This is where residents contribute one large tip that will be evenly distributed amongst the building staff. Also, while cash tips are customary you may have a special relationship with a member of the staff that may call for a unique gift. Perhaps you know that your doorman appreciates aged whiskeys or that your super is a huge football fan and would love some tickets to a Giants game.
Regardless of how you decide to show your appreciation this holiday season, it’s so important to remember that your apartment staff strive to make your life just a little bit easier year round, so make sure they feel special this holiday season.
