The potential pitfalls of automatic in-home deliveries has gained interest among those in the apartment industry. With access products designed for single-family homes, online consumers are presented with a supposed choice between convenience and privacy. But in apartment buildings with multiple access points – a ground-level entryway and an individual unit door, for example – consumers can experience automatic deliveries without sacrificing their privacy.

This is one of the many benefits of apartment building smart-access systems, the first of which was launched in 2016 by then startup company, Latch. These systems allow for automatic in-building deliveries – enabled through partnerships with delivery logistics companies – and also gives the individual resident the ability to grant delivery personnel additional access into their individual unit, if they choose. These interactions at every access point are captured visually through a wide-angled camera lens, creating a visual audit trail accessible to both building personnel and each resident.

Brian Ramirez rolled out this smart-access system throughout Corigin’s New York City apartment portfolio in 2016.

“It is a game-changer for property managers and onsite team members,” Ramirez says. “They are allowed to take a step back when it comes to controlling access into the building and gives that authority to whom it belongs—our residents. Before we used this system, our team spent significant time monitoring and providing access to contractors, managing packages, changing and maintaining locks, etc. Through our delivery partners using this system, packages are automatically delivered safely inside the building. Now that we spend less time on access management, our team is able to spend time serving our residents.”

With multiple access points in apartment buildings, residents are empowered to choose what level of convenience they prefer.