“How much should I tip my building staff?” is a question I receive from clients, friends, and neighbors almost every holiday season. This year, it came up more than usual. It is also a question many people are hesitant to ask—and even more hesitant to answer. For most New Yorkers, tipping amounts are almost as private as salary.

My reluctance has always been simple: there are many variables, and I do not want to steer anyone wrong. That said, there are reasonable ranges that can serve as a useful guide, and understanding the why behind tipping is just as important as the how much.

Why Tipping Is So Personal, and So Expected?

Several factors influence holiday tipping in a co‑op or condo:

• The type of building you live in
• How many staff members there are
• Whether your building pools tips or you tip individually
• How long you and each staff member have been there
• Who has gone above and beyond during the year
• Whether you tip only at the holidays or also throughout the year when extra help is provided

Ultimately, tipping is voluntary. No one is legally required to tip. But this is New York City, and building staff typically rely on holiday tips as a meaningful part of their annual income.

With that in mind, here are some widely cited average ranges for NYC co‑op and condo buildings, drawn from surveys and industry guides.

Suggested Tipping Ranges for Co‑op / Condo Staff

These numbers represent typical ranges—not hard rules. Adjust up or down based on your building, your usage, your budget, and your comfort level.

Resident Manager / Super

• Average: $150–$300
• Common range: $100–$500

The super or resident manager often receives the highest tip, especially if they live in the building or have managed it for a long time and handle emergencies and major issues personally.

Doorman / Concierge

• Average: $75–$200 each
• Common range: $50–$400

Consider where you fall based on how often you interact with them and how much they do for you—accepting packages, managing deliveries, greeting guests, and helping with day‑to‑day needs.

Handyman

• Average: $50–$100
• Common range: $50–$200

If a handyman is frequently in your apartment fixing things, adjusting fixtures, or helping with minor projects, you may want to be toward the higher end of the range.

Porters & Maintenance Staff

• Average: $25–$50
• Common range: $25–$100

Porters and maintenance teams keep the building running smoothly behind the scenes. If you regularly see them in the hallways or they have helped you directly, that can influence your number.

Garage Attendant

• Average: $25–$75
• Common range: $20–$100

How often you use the garage, how much personal assistance you receive, and whether the same attendants are there consistently should inform your decision.

Home and Family Support

Beyond building staff, many New Yorkers also tip the people who support their home life directly:

• Cleaning Service / Housekeeper
  • Typically: one week’s pay
• Full‑Time Nanny
  • Minimum: one week’s pay
  • More generous: two weeks’ pay, or one week’s pay plus an extra week of vacation
• Regular Dog Walker
  • Typically: one week’s pay

Again, these are norms, not mandates. Your personal situation and relationship with each person matter.

Why Tipping Matters More Than You Might Think

Holiday tipping in New York is more cultural than transactional.

When you live in a building for years, staff often become like an extended family. This was driven home for me during Covid, when I was one of the few residents in our building physically present while staff continued to work full‑time. Their steadiness and dedication during what was, for many, a frightening time left a lasting impression.

Good staff make the big, sometimes harsh realities of New York living feel more manageable:

• The super who fixes a heat issue late at night
• The porter who signs for and delivers a constant stream of packages
• The doorman who greets you with a genuine smile several times a day

They are quiet caretakers of our daily lives.

Staff Quality and Property Value

There is another dimension to this that non–real estate professionals do not always see: building staff quality affects property values.

In New York:

• Full‑service buildings develop reputations—some deservedly better than others.
• “White‑glove” co‑ops are prized not just for their architecture, but for their service level.
• Savvy buyers regularly ask about staffing, responsiveness, and how a building “runs.”

A building with a warm, responsive, and stable staff tends to:

• Retain residents
• Attract motivated buyers
• Maintain higher resale values

Staff morale plays a huge role in this. You can sense it:

• In the lobby atmosphere
• In how common areas are maintained
• Even in the cleanliness and organization of the basement (which, in my view, is one of the best measures of how a building is truly managed)

Holiday tipping is one of the ways residents contribute to that ecosystem. When staff feel appreciated, they are more likely to invest emotionally in the building, and that stability benefits everyone.

Do What Feels Right for You

Finally, a reminder: New York is home to buildings and residents with vastly different levels of wealth. There are “outlier” tippers whose generosity reflects their means more than any norm. Trying to keep up with households whose resources are dramatically different from your own is neither healthy nor necessary.

Use the ranges as a reference, then:

• Consider your building
• Consider your interactions
• Consider your budget
• And do what feels right

The gesture, and the thought behind it, matter far more than hitting a particular number.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend as you make your way to the ATM (or your banking app) to share a bit of appreciation with the people who help make your building home.

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