Your Handy Guide to Letterbox Regulations

Ever wondered if there are letterbox rules and regulations that you have to follow? Heatlie Letterboxes has you covered!

It doesn't always occur to everyone, but letterboxes are required to follow regulations when it comes to their size, security and location. Australia Post enforces these regulations and can be fairly strict in their jurisdiction. They like to make their posties' lives as easy as possible, but also want to keep your mail safe, secure and in tact. 

Finding the Right Size Letterbox

Your letterbox needs to large enough so that an A4 piece of paper can not only enter comfortable through the slot, but also lie flat inside. You do have a choice between landscape or portrait orientated slots, as A4 fits either way. It's never ideal if the postie has to curl or scrunch your precious mail up in order to fit it in. You also don't want your mail sticking out of the slot and not going the full way in. This can lead to sticky fingers walking past nabbing your mail, which no one wants, or it can act like a funnel for rain to pour in and soak whatever else is inside. 

So as a good guide, your letterbox and its mail slot should be a minimum of 230mm wide, and its body should be minimum 330mm deep. The slot should not be large enough for fingers or hands to poke into, ours are manufactured to be a 40mm opening.  

Lastly, it should be an appropriate height for the postie to make a quick and efficient drop off. Not too high, not too low. The slot should be somewhere between 900mm and 1200mm off the ground. Ideal height for a motorbike-riding postie to drop and go. This is extended to between 600mm and 1600mm for multibanks.

Perfectly installed A4 letterbox. 

Keeping your Letterbox Secure

This one might go without saying, but you should keep a lock on your letterbox at all times. Here at Heatlie Letterboxes we've seen some real horror stories of letterbox theft, vandalization, and more. With identity theft become a serious threat lately, security is something you should invest in. Depending on your choice, our letterboxes can have a key operated lock, or a latch lock that allows you to slip a store bought padlock through.

Read our guide on keeping your mail secure for other handy tips.

Letterbox Key Lock

Making Sure your Letterbox is Easily Accessible

Once again this is an obvious one, but not everyone gets it. Your letterbox needs to be easily accessible for the postie and visible from the main street. This is all in the name of making the postie's life easier. If they can't see your street number, or your physical letterbox, how can they deliver your mail?

Try not to place it behind obstacles like bushes, trees, hedges, fences etc. Also try not to make them traipse all the way up your driveway unless they really have to. A freestanding letterbox should ideally be installed at the edge of the driveway, as close to the footpath as possible.

A perfectly positioned Horizontal Pillar letterbox

Letterbox Maintenance

It's also a great idea to keep your letterbox clean and maintained. This makes the postie's life a lot more pleasant, and also keeps your mail clean and intact. Give it a wash down and a wipe inside and out once a month for a happy postie. Don't get on your local's bad side like this guy did. 

Check out our guide on letterbox maintenance for more information. 

In conclusion, keep your letterbox clean, secure and in the right spot, and you'll avoid grumpy posties leaving you passive aggressive notes!

Shop our range of lockable, regulation sized letterboxes today and find the perfect one to compliment your front yard!