Your partner moved in and the buzzer still rings one of you
When somebody moves in, the buzzer keeps ringing whoever was already on the lobby panel, because the panel holds one number per unit and nothing about a new resident updates it. The result is that one of you fields every delivery and guest for both of you. Changing it to a number that rings both phones takes one email to the building.
The lease got sorted, the utilities got sorted, the parking got sorted. Nobody mentioned the buzzer, and now one of you is getting buzzed at work about a parcel for the other one.
Why it did not change on its own
The number in the lobby panel was typed in once, by whoever moved in first. A second person arriving does not touch it, because nothing in a building system knows they arrived.
And there is nowhere to put them. One unit, one number field. Why there is no second field.
The trap of just swapping it
The obvious move is to put the newer resident number on instead, usually because they work from home more. It works, and it hands the whole job to them.
Six months later the schedules change and you are back to the same email to property management, having used up the easy one. The same trap between roommates.
| What goes on the panel | Who answers | What happens when schedules change |
|---|---|---|
| The original resident number | Them, still | Nothing, because nobody wants to ask again |
| The newer resident number | Them now | Another request to the building |
| A number that rings both | Whoever is free | Nothing to change |
The other thing worth checking
If your partner moved to the city recently and kept a number from another province, the panel may not be able to dial it at all. That rules out putting their number on the panel regardless of who works from home.
A lobby panel dials on a building line restricted to local calls, so an out-of-region number simply does not connect. Why that happens.
What to do in the first month
Send property management one email changing the number they hold, and put a number on it that rings both phones so this is the last time either of you thinks about it.
BuzzMeBro is $11.99 a month for the apartment rather than per person and rings up to 4 phones at once, so there is room for a third and fourth phone later without another conversation with the building. What to send them.
Questions people ask
Can the building put both our names on the buzzer?
Often yes, and it changes nothing about who gets called. The display name is what a visitor scrolls past. The dialled number is a separate field and it holds one number.
Whose number should go on the panel?
Neither, ideally. Any individual number makes that person the doorman, and the answer goes stale the first time your schedules change. A number belonging to the apartment does not have an owner to get wrong.
My partner has an out-of-province number. Does that matter?
Yes, and it is worth checking before the discussion. A panel dialling on a restricted building line usually cannot reach a number from another region at all, so it was never a real option.
Is this worth paying for with only two of us?
It depends whether you are both out during the day. If one of you is nearly always home with a local number, put that number on the panel and pay nobody. If you both work, the buzzer fails on exactly the days you need it.
What if we move?
The number moves with you and the new building stores it. BuzzMeBro is month to month, so it also just stops if you would rather start again.