Just put it in. It will go a long way in showing your tenants that you're willing to compromise.

The simple answer is that you are damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Anytime phone or cable lines have to be run, the responsibility has legally been upheld to be the tenant's responsibility; however, do you really want to place them in charge of ripping apart your walls? They don't care as much as you, and any subpar work would be yours to repair when they leave.

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

Depends on if the Jacuzzi was advertised in the lease. In 2008, "cable ready" should mean every good sized room. Not just the living room.


The owner should pay because potential tenents like myself will completely reject a lease if we can't hook up our offices in these extra rooms. Its an investment for the owner that really should not cost that much. Now if the owner wants to increase the rent next term due to "improvements made". Thats a different story, but you should never expect a Tenent to pay for something that is going to raise YOUR home's value.

Simple.

If a tenant orders cable TV service and the jacks are not run, then tell the tenant to let you know when Comcast will be showing up to run the installation so that you can supervise it and prevent any unwanted punches going into the building and also keep an eye out for shoddy work.

In particular, if they punch holes through brick, they should be inserting silicone or another adhesive to plug the hole so heat does not escape from the building and moisture does not get in.


The tenant will be paying for the cost of the installation from Comcast.

If this is a large installation and you need a lot of wiring installed, then you should contact Comcast directly and request an onsite multi-family-unit installation and pass the charges along equally among the tenants (divide by 3).

If you have vacant units, just eat the cost. I don't think it will go over $170 for on-site installation. Just make sure you do not pay for anything that you shouldn't be paying for...

For example, a junction box install would be something you would provide to the tenants since that is a shared resource. But cable modems, HDTV converters, spare wire, etc; things of that nature---those are tenant costs and they pay Comcast for that.



If you are providing CATV service TO your tenants [why you'd want to do this I have no idea], then you'll need to shoulder everything except any leased equipment the tenants need, for example HDTV boxes, DVR boxes and cable modems.

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Buh-bye.

Not true.

Comcast installers will follow your directions. However, if they do not have the appropriate equipment on hand for something you are not providing, they will abort the installation until the impasse is breeched.


One example is if you want to use a vertical tube for reaching upper floors rather than running individual lines from the junction box. Comcast (nor DTV) will cut the holes in the floors and run the metal or PVC wire tubing for you; that is something you have to do or ask a contractor.

However, Comcast techs will gladly install interface plates in every room. They just will not run the wiring exactly to your standards unless you have already done the leg work to make that installation easier.

This is why when you renovate a building, you have the electrical contractor do this work for you up front so that way all the Comcast/DTV people have to do is run their service line to your junction box in the basement.

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Buh-bye.

I am in this same situation from a tenent perspective.

When I finally got through to Comcast and requested installation to the house, I immediately called the LL and told him the specific date/time they are scheduled to come out, so we are both there when Comcast arrives.

This landlord has already suffered a crappy DTV installation from a previous tenant, and since I don't want DTV I've told the landlord I'll repair the damage DTV did to the house.

The installers punched holes in the house where all the rooms are, and then tied all the connections up to the roof, which was very unprofessional and ugly. I'll fill in those holes with silicone after Comcast inspects what was done and the new installation will have nice service plates in all the rooms where there was once a DTV hookup.



On other items, for example the light fixtures; I'll be installing ceiling fans myself and giving them to the landlord free of charge. I'll enjoy the nice metal ceiling fans that I bought and the landlord can keep them over the old 1950's era light fixtures he has in the house now.

I'll be doing the same when I build my own pantry in the kitchen (the LL removed a breakfast nook he had in the kitchen from when he was a child). They'll stay property of the landlord and in that particular case, I might ask for a rent dock for those improvements. It's not a big cost for me, I like simple DIYs, and the LL wins because we will both be making improvements to the home without running into the impunity of a rent hike.

__________________
Buh-bye.

Ok, so let's say the lease said that the unit had a jacuzzi. But the jacuzzi is in the bathroom tub, while the tenant thinks it's going to be outside, on a deck. I suppose the owner should install another one??? You say that cable-ready "SHOULD" mean something, and you suggest that it "should" be in every "good sized" room. What exactly is a "good sized" room? Not to nit-pick here, because I understand your point, but the reason people have problems with contracts (and a lease is a contract) is because they want the authority to self-interpret, thus rendering contracts meaningless. Did the landlord fail to meet the terms of the contract? If so, he'll have to make things right. If not, then the tenant is asking for an amendment to the original contract to stipulate cable access in every room. THis being the case, the tenant is responsible. Saying that the owner should pay for everything that raises the value of his property is foolish. The tenant is paying for utility, and if the utility increases, the rent should increase.

When a house or apt/condo is advertised as cable-ready it means the landlord has installed cable into the unit...usually the living area ONLY!
If the tenant wants cable in other rooms they would have to pay for it themselves.
If the tenant moves out the landlord CAN request that the unit is returned to it's original condition....or the landlord has the right to keep the security....
....THATS the legality.

Whether the landlord considers it an improvement is up to the landlord only,
NOT the tenant.
Also the tenant should put the request and reply into writing before making ANY changes to a property that they are renting and do not own.
Too many tenants forget they are renting and unilaterally make changes and think they are 'improving' the property when in fact they are not.
I was lucky with my tenants they always asked before any changes were made including painting a room.

Good point, I guess it does really come down to the contract. I would never sign one without making sure my office and bedroom had one installed. Now if a tenant is making this request after moving in, and it is going to make the value the of the house better, its best to work it out and make it go 50/50. Perhaps signing or extending a new lease could make this easier on the owner?

You talk about building your own pantry...have you asked the landlord first before doing this and if you're making so-called improvements have you discussed the landlord helping you pay for materials??