Should my landlord pay for line installation costs?

[Pablo]

So I'm renting in a new apartment block in Cape town and there is currently no fixed line installed at all. The building allows has fibre (through digilutions or something) and for ADSL (through telkom) the catch is that an upfront installation fee has to be payed in order to get either service in my apartment. LTE is not really an option as its still silly expensive.

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation and if so have you gotten your landlord to pay for it? I feel that since I'm only renting that my landlord should absorb at least some (if not all) of the costs of line installation as it will only benefit him in the long term.

 

[crackersa]

So I'm renting in a new apartment block in Cape town and there is currently no fixed line installed at all. The building allows has fibre (through digilutions or something) and for ADSL (through telkom) the catch is that an upfront installation fee has to be payed in order to get either service in my apartment. LTE is not really an option as its still silly expensive.

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation and if so have you gotten your landlord to pay for it? I feel that since I'm only renting that my landlord should absorb at least some (if not all) of the costs of line installation as it will only benefit him in the long term.

If it's not listed in your rental contract then the landlord has no obligation. Wait till the lease is up and negotiate to have it on the new lease.

 

[X2016]

As stated above he's under no obligation.
A practical approach would be to speak to your landlord about it.
Stipulate the merit in the matter and ask for a 50/50 split.
If you're lucky he'll oblige, otherwise you'll have to pay

 

[Gamer]

I'm a residential landlord. A phone or fibre line adds no value in my opinion and my next tenant may never need one. I wouldn't pay. However, new air-conditioning or security gates that my tenant discussed with me I was happy to pay for.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

I've installed 2 lines to rental properties, never considered asking the landlord. Fibre may add some value to the property atm and I might ask for a split but a Telkom line, nah.

 

[ld13]

The next tenant would have to pay for installation in any case...no?

 

[Progenix Oj101]

Go for the Closer plan from Telkom. It's an extra R18 or something per month which gets you free off peak calls to other Telkom numbers and the installation cost falls away.

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

So I'm renting in a new apartment block in Cape town and there is currently no fixed line installed at all. The building allows has fibre (through digilutions or something) and for ADSL (through telkom) the catch is that an upfront installation fee has to be payed in order to get either service in my apartment. LTE is not really an option as its still silly expensive.

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation and if so have you gotten your landlord to pay for it? I feel that since I'm only renting that my landlord should absorb at least some (if not all) of the costs of line installation as it will only benefit him in the long term.

So you want it .... land lord doesnt ..... you want land lord to pay a portion for it ......

next question .... how will it benefit him? He didnt want it in the first place. Do people rent an ADSL line that comes with a flat?

 

[Geoff.D]

I'm a residential landlord. A phone or fibre line adds no value in my opinion and my next tenant may never need one. I wouldn't pay. However, new air-conditioning or security gates that my tenant discussed with me I was happy to pay for.

Landlords are all the same ... Quite happy to insist that " Fixtures" shall become part of the property even if paid for by a tenant, but not to admit that "fixtures" add value to your property!. The indoor cable reticulation becomes a fixture and cannot easily be removed when a tenant leaves, so it fits the definition of a "fixture". It is NO different to that Air conditioner or security gate system.

The only thing that will sort out the greedy property industry in SA is legislation that will make it obligatory for landlords to ensure telecoms infrastructure is installed when they develop a property, or, before they are even allowed to enter into a rental agreement with a tenant. .....

Every one was quite happy when Telkom used to do the indoor wiring at their cost. The moment new ECA came into force, property owners found out that "they" were now responsible for indoor wiring, they ducked the issue. And that is why there are now many properties with no indoor wiring facilities available, especially high rise residential complexes with weak Body Corporates ...

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

Landlords are all the same ... Quite happy to insist that " Fixtures" shall become part of the property even if paid for by a tenant, but not to admit that "fixtures" add value to your property!.

Yeah, we are all evil shytes ....

 

[Gamer]

Yeah, we are all evil shytes ....

Haha!
And all tenants are the same...

 

[ambo]

I'm a residential landlord. A phone or fibre line adds no value in my opinion and my next tenant may never need one. I wouldn't pay. However, new air-conditioning or security gates that my tenant discussed with me I was happy to pay for.

So I'm guessing that you've read none of the threads here discussing how savvy people are choosing where they live according to the quality of internet connectivity that they can get. This will only increase as the contrasts between high speed fibre services and mediocre wireless offerings become more apparent.

 

[supersunbird]

Sure, the landlord can cover the cost, and then add R100 extra onto the next rental increase and make R1200 back in 1 year (installation cost and more) and the next year and the next...

 

[Gamer]

So I'm guessing that you've read none of the threads here discussing how savvy people are choosing where they live according to the quality of internet connectivity that they can get. This will only increase as the contrasts between high speed fibre services and mediocre wireless offerings become more apparent.

I haven't no, I spend very little time on the forums. There's no shortage of prospective tenants, the more savvy ones can rent elsewhere or pay for their own line installation.

Sure, the landlord can cover the cost, and then add R100 extra onto the next rental increase and make R1200 back in 1 year (installation cost and more) and the next year and the next...

Hehe

 

[greenman101]

Just out of curiosity, What is the installation cost for a new Telkom line?

 

[portcullis]

I'm a residential landlord. A phone or fibre line adds no value in my opinion and my next tenant may never need one. I wouldn't pay. However, new air-conditioning or security gates that my tenant discussed with me I was happy to pay for.

Last year we conducted research with an estate agent and found that apartments that had fibre installed sold for between R30,000 (Bellville) and R50,000 (Somerset West) more than similar apartments that did not have fibre installed.

 

[R13...]

Just out of curiosity, What is the installation cost for a new Telkom line?

Info on telkom website

 

[HideInLight]

Last year we conducted research with an estate agent and found that apartments that had fibre installed sold for between R30,000 (Bellville) and R50,000 (Somerset West) more than similar apartments that did not have fibre installed.

That's fibre, very rare.

 

[FaSMaN]

Sure, the landlord can cover the cost, and then add R100 extra onto the next rental increase and make R1200 back in 1 year (installation cost and more) and the next year and the next...

Dont be silly Ive never met a landlord that doesn't increase the rent by the maximum allowed amount every year

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

Dont be silly Ive never met a landlord that doesn't increase the rent by the maximum allowed amount every year

Theres a maximum amount? I try to rip the ring with every tenant ----

No seriously though - there are times where I lower the rental dependent on the situation.