The explosion of online shopping has created a big headache for landlords and condo associations – what should be done about the deluge of packages being delivered to residents?

Staff at large apartment buildings often strain under the effort to accept, sort and deliver hundreds of packages. Smaller landlords and condo associations are striving to figure out the best policy: Should packages be left outside, where they are vulnerable to weather and theft? Is there a better, workable way to get them to tenants and unit owners?

Camden Property Trust, a huge landlord with 59,000 apartment units in 10 states, recently announced that it was banning package deliveries altogether. Camden tenants must now pick up packages at a post office, or else have them shipped to their workplace or to the home of a friend or relative.

That’s an extreme solution, but the problem is real – package deliveries are growing by 50% a year, according to Camden – and many landlords and condo boards are struggling to come up with a policy that works.