Communication Tower Site on my Property?

DB Pilot · May 5, 2018

I will have to find out more details but a friend of mine just was telling me that he has a cable TV tower on his property. The deal was rent plus free basic cable service. So for the last 15 years there has not been a problem and he has been very happy. Despite the Cable company changing hands. But now the company has been bought up again (company name withheld

) and bills are being sent to him. Their statement is they have no copy of the original contract. He has sent them a copy. So far no comment from them but service cut and then turned on again with a different package and bills keep coming. :thumbdown:

One of his thoughts is that if they abandon the tower he can't afford to have it removed himself and the company that put it up no longer exists. And who pays to maintain the required light at the top?? :2cents:

Industrial Toys · May 5, 2018

I am looking for a self support 120 -150 foot tower. New York is do-able.

Slowpoke Slim · May 5, 2018

DB Pilot said:
I will have to find out more details but a friend of mine just was telling me that he has a cable TV tower on his property. The deal was rent plus free basic cable service. So for the last 15 years there has not been a problem and he has been very happy. Despite the Cable company changing hands. But now the company has been bought up again (company name withheld ) and bills are being sent to him. Their statement is they have no copy of the original contract. He has sent them a copy. So far no comment from them but service cut and then turned on again with a different package and bills keep coming. :thumbdown:

One of his thoughts is that if they abandon the tower he can't afford to have it removed himself and the company that put it up no longer exists. And who pays to maintain the required light at the top?? :2cents:

A Sawz-All with metal cutting bits could solve the whole problem for your friend. Have him tell the cable company, either they suddenly "remember" the free cable and rent deal, or that tower's coming down.

Industrial Toys · May 5, 2018

An old Power Wagon and a scene like out of Lethal Weapon, with Mel Gibson would be better.

TnAndy · May 5, 2018

Industrial Toys said:
For what it's worth. ISPs around here rarely give more than free high speed service for the host of the tower site. And, YOU pay the power bill which in my way of thinking, they play down and underestimate. If they have to put up a small tower for 30G, there isn't much money left for paying rent.

The one provider I spoke with was going to use my 80' tower and building located at a good high elevation. They were going to provide me and my neighbor with high speed service. When I suggested that only I get high speed, plus fifty bucks a month, and there was a reasonable out clause in the contract, I never heard from them again!

Also, they did not think access was a problem, but I thought, I would be clearing snow on the steep road to the tower every so often.

But like I said, Cellular is different.

I put up a 90' tower at the top of my mountain put up for an ISP for wireless internet. They went out of business after a few years and I was stuck with 528k DSL from the phone company as my internet. Then another one approached me. They (their dime) raised the tower another 30' to get better clearance on the trees (you still have to look really hard to see it...no light on top), provide me with free service + $120/mo. I pay the power bill, but so far, it's only running 3-4kw/hrs a day ( I did put a meter on the line to the tower).....so under 15 bucks/mo.

For me, it's worked out well. What they pay pretty much covers my total property tax bill, plus free, true, high speed internet.

Guy I know has cell tower on his place, about 4-5 miles from us. He gets 800/mo on it.

Jstpssng · May 5, 2018

A little bit different perhaps, but we had an AM radio tower in back of the house when I was growing up. At times you could listen to the radio station coming in over the toilet, and as others mentioned it was a great lightning rod. When the lease came up for renewal last time my father let it go, as he knew he was getting old and considered it an encumbrance when he died since none of us want the property.
They moved the tower to another site nearby, and it's rather weird because as I come around the corner onto their road it's still in the same place, just a little farther back.

Liquidsilver · May 7, 2018

Thank you for the ideas and suggestions. I'll update this if the company ever returns my call.

wagne223 · May 7, 2018

Some of these points have been touched on already. This is what comes to mind and depending on your specific situation these points could be small or large.

Improvements to property increase value in the eyes of the county. Having a long term tenant also increases value.
The county will want more property tax. Every road, fence, access point and sqft of concrete will increase your property tax.

The monthly rent they pay you is income. You are responsible for claiming and paying it. Depending on how the lease is written and your current income, this could be anywhere from 10 to 30 percent.
Unlike rental property though, you will have no deductions and no depreciation.

Homeowners insurance is sure to increase.
They will find some reason.....

Then there are the specifics of the deal, like who pays for utilities to the site, who maintains the roads ect.

Anyone considering this must get these numbers in order to make a sound decision.

My guess.....at $250/month it will cost you money. At $1500/ month you may profit a few hundred dollars.

My opinion is these towers belong on commercial property, government property or church property.
Remember a church pays no taxes so they get a lot more pocket money from the same rent.

buckeyefarmer · May 7, 2018

wagne223 said:
My opinion is these towers belong on commercial property, government property or church property.
Remember a church pays no taxes so they get a lot more pocket money from the same rent.

Not true in MD. Churches pay taxes on usages that is not church related. A cell tower, on church property in MD, still has to pay taxes on that property, since a cell tower is not a church function.

Some churches are taxed on their picnic grounds, because the county has determined it is not a church function. Not sure how that determination is made, but it happens.. One church had to sell theirs, they didnt have the money to pay the taxes, nor to fight the decision.

The church i attend has a cell tower on our property. We get $0 from it, as the revenue was bought by another party before we aquired the property. (Which reduced the property value when we bought it). The land fenced around the cell tower is taxed. The cell tower company pays the tax, per the agreement in place before we bought the property.
We will someday get to renegotiate the lease. We would like the tower removed.