Bernd Michaelis would like to pick up his mail at the new community mailbox built beside his Rockhaven Drive home, but hasn't been able to after a community mailbox mix-up has left him without access to his mail for almost a month.

About three weeks ago the 74-year-old received a new set of mailbox keys and went to try them out.

"We went to try the keys and looked for our mailbox number but it wasn't there," said Michaelis.

"We checked the instructions more carefully and we found out the mailbox we were supposed to use was several hundred metres away, and in fact, on another street."

Michaelis was left wondering why his mail wouldn't be delivered to the new mailbox which is directly across the street from his garage.

The other new community mailbox is on Wentworth Street in an area where there are numerous buildings under construction with dump trucks coming and going throughout the day.

Runs small business from home

It's about 500 metres from Michaelis's home.

Michaelis contacted Canada Post about his predicament.

"I told them that this can't be, it just shouldn't be," he said.

"I was told to return the whole thing [keys and instructions] and they would look after us. This was on the eighth of August."

But he hasn't received the new keys and he's been without mail since.

Michaelis runs a small business from his home in Halifax and is starting to feel the impact.

"It's just a very small business but we would have incoming cheques and things and they of course can't be picked up," said Michaelis.

Canada Post announced its plan to end door-to-door mail service in December 2013, citing declining traditional mail volumes.

CBC contacted Canada Post and via email were told the issue was being looked into.