Have you ever noticed how some rental properties have 2 or 3 satellite dishes on their roof? Or wondered why some properties have strict rules about installing satellite dishes? While providing a valuable service, these dishes can sometimes become quite the nuisance to property owners if rules for the proper installation and removal are not set in advance. We hope to answer who is responsible for satellite dish removal.
Many Property managers in Pasadena have asked:
Who is responsible to remove an old satellite dish from the property once a tenant moves out?
- Satellite Provider
- Property Owner
- Property Manager
- Tenant
Answer: The Tenant
Though this answer may surprise many of you out there, once the tenant becomes a customer of the satellite company, the dish or antenna becomes their property. Because of this rule, it would then become their responsibility to remove it upon move out, and fix any damage left behind from installation. Since this explicit detail is often left out of tenant lease agreements, the responsibility of removal and repair often falls to the property manager or real estate agent.
As a Property Manager We Can Remedy This Problem
By setting strict guidelines about installation and removal of satellite dishes and reviewing these guidelines at the time of lease signing, the tenant becomes responsible for removal of equipment and repair of any holes from installing, and painting of damaged areas. Having these rules in writing makes it clear whose responsibility it is, and keeps your property from having 2 or 3 dishes on the roof.
Your local Real Property Management office is well versed in the issues related with satellite dish installations and removals and can help you ensure the tenants responsibility is clearly spelled out in the lease. Knowing what is in your lease agreement can save you the hassle of having to remove the dish yourself.
Dish Laws: Know it Before Going to Battle with a Tenant
According the the Federal Communications Commission, landlords are prohibited from restricting a tenant from getting a satellite dish as long as it meets criteria set forth by the commission. When installed by a professional and smaller than 40 inches in diameter, the dish must be allowed on the property. The landlord can be present during installation and place reasonable restrictions on how and where the dish is installed. Reasonable restrictions can include not allowing the dish to be hung in common areas of an apartment complex, require that the tenant carry renters insurance to cover any damage caused by the satellite dish, and that they have the final say in placement and the process of install.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
