I always find that when I am working with buyers and renters who are searching for their next home, they develop this hyper-sensitive consciousness of every penny they will spend in the next 12 months.
Who can blame them? When you add up moving expenses, groceries, taxis, toilet paper, sunday brunch, and the $20 charge for every cocktail they consumed in the west village to help them through the stress living here- life get’s expensive.
The funniest phone call I regularly get 10 minutes before closing on a place is “Tyler! Someone just told me I will have to tip my doorman for the holidays. I did NOT budget for this!” Keep in mind, this person usually sounds as though they just drank their tip budget. I love my customers so much.
Reality check: Doormen are not the only staff members of a building expecting a tip. Anyone who helps you maintain your quality of life in your building is probably expecting some holiday cash.
If you err on the side of “needy” and “high maintenance,” you should probably also err on the side of “generous with your money.”
If you’re lucky, your building has a “tip bucket” set up where you can write one check, and the staff will split it up. If that is the case, you should tip about 10-15% of one month’s rent. (ie. if your rent is $3000, you should tip 300-450).
Otherwise, here is a chart to help you out:
Super: $100-$200
Doorman: $75-$250 per doorman
Porter/handyman: $30-$50
On-site Resident Manager: $100-$200
Lastly, it is completely socially acceptable to prorate these amounts if you have only lived in the building for a partial amount of time. It is also completely acceptable to not tip at all if you want the staff of your building to make you as uncomfortable as possible until you leave.
Happy Holidays!