Need help! Landlord says no Dishes!!

[StevenD]

Legal issues aside, good luck keeping a 20" dish mounted onto a 7 foot poll stable. That is a very large lever and even a moderate gust of wind will blow it over. I would strongly suggest on some type of diagonal bracing. A bucket of concrete isn't going to cut it.

I had a Dish500 in a bucket of concrete on my patio for almost two years. I never once had to realign it.

 

[charper1]

AA:

The bottom line is they have you locked into a lease for the appartment and they are giving you the hardest time they can while the lease and your payment tick away. All the while KNOWING that you are not going to take the time to file an actual lawsuit. A lawsuit is the only thing that brings these A-Holes to their knees & opens their eyes to the law. If you have no plans of filing a suit, then this is a moot subject and you are just wasting your own time, all the while assuring that you will NOT get a renewed lease when that current one runs out. SLAP THAT SUIT ON THEM and get your dish or start looking for a home or another complex that either has a large shared system or that will allow you to install your own.

 

[Neutron]

A lawsuit is bad press for ANY apartment complex. They should abide by the law and start allowing satellite dishes to be installed.

 

[GaryPen]

Legal issues aside, good luck keeping a 20" dish mounted onto a 7 foot poll stable. That is a very large lever and even a moderate gust of wind will blow it over. I would strongly suggest on some type of diagonal bracing. A bucket of concrete isn't going to cut it.

A number of people in my complex have theirs mounted on long poles. The usual method is to bolt them to the balcony railing. One could also use a patio umbrella base, which has a very large footbrint and rarely tips over.

 

[Vice Grips]

A 5 gallon bucket half filled with a bag of cement and a piece of galvanized electrical pipe put into it (2 1/4" I think) works perfectly. You can even leave space at the top of the bucket and put some soil and a nice creeping plant to hide the back of the dish. It's cheap to make and works good.

 

[chaddux]

AA:

I was just curious. Your apartment is on the correct side of your apartment building, right?

 

[AppliedAggression]

If you mean if I have a line of site, then sort of. With a 5 foot pole I do, although it's untested as of yet. They're getting back to me next week, depending on what they say, I might just file for small claims. It'll be a good experience if nothing else. I hate these corporate bastards.

 

[chaddux]

If you mean if I have a line of site, then sort of. With a 5 foot pole I do, although it's untested as of yet.

You've been going through all of this and you aren't even sure you have line of site? Does your patio allow you to see the sky in the general direction of southwest?

 

[AppliedAggression]

Yes it does. The line of site is diagonally towards the front of the house (the patio is in the back). But the 2nd floor is tilted so you can see the sky fairly well. I'd be really surprised if I couldn't get the signal. Besides, if I can't that just means a taller pole to piss them off more.

You've been going through all of this and you aren't even sure you have line of site? Does your patio allow you to see the sky in the general direction of southwest?

 

[Neutron]

Keep us up to date on this.

 

[chaddux]

Besides, if I can't that just means a taller pole to piss them off more.

I can't believe you'd want to piss them off with a bigger pole. You should just be nice and install something...well, like the attached.

 

[gpflepsen]

Just do it. Make them force the issue. They won't get very far.

Send them a letter stating you intend to install a satellite dish in compliance with all local and federal regulations.

Then just do it.

 

[DWS44]

You should just be nice and install something...well, like the attached.

:shocked I'd like to see the bucket of cement you mount that one in!

hehe

 

[GutBomb]

an installer will not install without a signed letter from the apartment complex giving permission to install. i guess he could do it himself though.

 

[Neutron]

My installer never required anything from the landlord....

 

[TYORK]

Just do it. Make them force the issue. They won't get very far.

Send them a letter stating you intend to install a satellite dish in compliance with all local and federal regulations.

Then just do it.

this did no good in a apartment in indy and a new owner came in and made everyone in there take there dishes down and most of them was in a comman area and took them a copy of the federal regulations and they still would not let them have them cause they said it was in the lease that no dishes was aloud and the sad part was that they all had sign letter from the office manger that it was ok to have one.

 

[Barry Erick]

You say most were in a common area. That would be a problem. The regs state "NOT" in a common area.

 

[Tyralak]

Ultimately if you want to fight this you're going to have to be prepared to file a Petition for Declaratory Ruling with the FCC. The FCC will then send a letter to the landlord, telling them they are investigating the matter, and ordering them not to proceed with any action against you under they are done. After completing this, they will then issue a Ruling on whether or not the landlord's restrictions are legal or not (it sounds like they are not).

There are instructions on the FCC site on how to do this; they are not too difficult.

It seems the landlord doesn't realize that, even though they own the property, they cannot lease it out under any conditions they please, if these conditions violate Federal law. It's not much different them having them decide that they would rather not rent to minorities; that pesky 1964 Civil Rights Act you know.

After the FCC issued the Ruling, you would have a powerful weapon in a lawsuit against the landlord were they to hassle you further.

And oh, this FCC Rule, mandated by the 1996 Telecomm. Act, is specifically targeted to prevent the type of cushy Landlord/Cable Co. culusion exampled above.

Exactly, as such deals between landlord and cable companies also run afoul of antitrust laws.

 

[Neutron]

My apartment complex has a deal with the cable company and I'm forced to pay $39 a month for cable TV that I don't even use. I tried to get out of it and was told that it was part of the rent.

 

[Pepper]

My apartment complex has a deal with the cable company and I'm forced to pay $39 a month for cable TV that I don't even use. I tried to get out of it and was told that it was part of the rent.

If that is not illegal it sure seems at least shady.