Second year renting in a doorman building down by Water St. Holiday season is picking up and I'm seeing neighbors palm envelopes to the front desk after their morning coffee. My lease is dead silent on this. The owner is some LLC registered in Miami, so I doubt they're working the room. Last year I handed cards with a little cash to our day doorman and one porter, but the super gave me a weird half-smile like I'd either done too much or not enough.

So what's the actual move for tenants? Does the owner/LLC handle the big building holiday fund and I just do personal nods? If I'm renting, is it overstepping to tip staff directly? I don't need to be the building's favorite, but I also don't want to be the guy who ignores the people dragging my packages in. Who all is supposed to be on the list?

Ooh this is such a real question! I'm a co-op owner and I promise you it's a two-track thing. The shareholder/unit owner usually contributes to the building holiday fund or the board organizes a staff appreciation pool, but personal tipping of the people you interact with directly is a separate and very normal thing, especially in a doorman building!

Do NOT assume an LLC owner in Miami is doing anything for your specific unit. Some owners contribute to the building fund, some don't, some just rely on the tenant to handle direct gifts. Have you tried asking the resident manager for a staff list or whether there's a holiday fund? We have a list with shifts so nobody gets skipped. The super's weird look was probably because two envelopes is a start, but there are probably more staff on rotation than you think!

Wait, I'm in a high-rise in LIC with a front desk and package room and now I'm worried I've been doing this wrong. I thought only people who own the unit tip the doorman. We just moved in over the summer, first time in a big building. Do renters really give holiday tips? I see signs about a 'staff appreciation fund' near the mailboxes but I thought that was for shareholders only. If I don't tip, does the doorman treat my packages differently? Not trying to be cheap, just genuinely didn't know.

Been in rentals and condos all over BK. In general, if you're using the front desk, package room, and seeing the same two porters every morning, you kick in something. The owner's fund is a different pot. You're not overstepping by giving staff a card with some cash.

Last building I was in, renters gave direct to the staff they actually saw, and the super didn't care unless you made a whole show. I'd ask the front desk for a list. Some buildings have printed sheets with names and shifts; if they don't, just cover the day doorman, overnight guy, super, and the porter who does your floor. Don't stress about every body in a 40-story tower.

First year in a doorman building on the UES, or maybe it's technically an attended lobby? Anyway I asked the super about the employee holiday fund and he looked at me like I had two heads. He said that fund is for shareholders and I should 'do what I feel.' So that's not helpful. The doorman definitely knows I'm a renter, I guess they know everybody. I gave one guy a box of chocolates last year and he was nice, but now I'm wondering if he was secretly hoping for cash? Do people tip the package room person too? Feeling behind.

Yeah the 'do what you feel' line is classic. I got the same from the resident manager today, except she added 'some renters do, some don't,' which is exactly the clarity I needed lol. Gowanus_G, you're right about the full staff list being key. I asked at the front desk during a slow minute and they said there's no official list, but the day doorman and one porter are the only ones I see regularly. There's also a weekend guy and a night guy I'm forgetting.

I'm not going to try to cover a whole high-rise operation, but I'll do the people who actually know my name and apartment number. Feels less weird now.

I live in a smaller building in Dyker Heights, more like a front desk situation. My super is here all the time and handles packages. He told me 'no need' when I asked last year, but my neighbor said always tip the super and the package guy. Is this a holiday only thing or do people tip on random days? I don't want to do the wrong thing. Also is a card with cash okay, or is that too direct? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

New transplant, no doorman, just a super in the basement. I gave him a bottle of something last year because he fixed my sink. Then a few weeks later he charged me for a lock change, and I can't tell if I overthought that. Do I need to do that every year now? I don't have a front desk and I don't even know who the porter is. Is it weird to tip a super if there's no doorman? This thread is making me think I missed some NYC rule.

Supers and porters absolutely count! Even in a non-doorman building, if your super is the one who responds at midnight when the toilet ghosts you, a holiday thank-you goes a long way. In our building the staff list includes the resident manager, super, porter, handyman, and door staff, and there are multiple shifts. You don't need to match what a shareholder puts into the building pool, but direct gifts are remembered.

Have you tried asking the front desk after shift change? They'll usually tell you how many people are on rotation. I'm begging you, don't ask random people in the elevator unless you want eight different answers and a whole lecture about the board.

Thanks OP for asking this. I went down and asked the daytime front desk person and he was really nice about it. He said nothing is expected but appreciated, and he actually showed me a printed sheet for 'Holiday Staff Recognition' that has names and shifts for the front desk, porters, and maintenance. It didn't say amounts, just how to participate, which was a relief. I left a card with the package room person this morning. Did I miss a second porter though? We have a night guy and I don't know if he's on the list. Now I'm paranoid again.

Night guy counts. If you get packages after 10 or ever buzz in a late guest, that's the person saving you. You don't have to cover everyone in the building, but if you know the night staff's first name, a little envelope is not wasted.

To nate: super in a non-doorman building is normal to tip if he actually helps you. A bottle or small cash both fine. To beth: the shareholder fund is not your problem, but personal tips are okay unless the building has a written policy against it. Just be low-key, don't ask the whole lobby for permission.