Should Landlords ever provide Internet?
New York City, NY · Member since 2012 · 77 posts · 11 votes
I have one tenant who's been here a long time, before I started not officially including internet. Now I say "I sometimes share mine with people as a courtesy, but it's not included-- if the person makes my internet go out, I stop sharing."
Should a landlord ever offer internet?
In roommate situations?
In apartment settings?
[b]Is it too much of a hassle and liability risk to even consider it?[b]
I'm in a roommate situation, and having each person buy their own seems not necessary. But, I don't enjoy whiney tenants complaining about slow internet because they're downloading/streaming too much Netflix or junk.
Do you offer internet? Why or why not?
Large apartment complexes with full-time staff, maybe.
Otherwise, I would say.... never.
Not worth it.
Issues:
- tenants not knowing how to connect their device and calling you for help
- tenants still not understanding how to connect, asking you to come do it
- tenants trying to connect some ridiculously old device that's not compatible
- tenant hogging bandwidth with streaming video or Skype or whatever
- tenant doing illegal non-sense
- tenants calling all the time whining that their internet is slow
- tenant whining that their signal isn't strong enough... on antique devices.
- tenant calling at some obscene hour saying their internet is down
With roommates, I've done/do it. I wouldn't do it again. I've had tenant roommates who hog bandwidth, then wonder why it's down or slow. I've had others who can't figure out how to connect to a wi-fi network. I've had others who try to download s***t. (I had to install a security app to block download sites. Still, tenants could try to bypass this security). I've had tenants stream Netflix and Pandora on a few devices full-stream HD at once, then whine that their internet goes down or is slow. Really, people? One even whined that if the internet kept acting up (largely because of them), they would probably have to move. Ok, good riddance. I offer dirt cheap rent in a great property.
Never again will I offer to share my internet after my current tenant / roommates move out. NEVER. They want internet, they can buy their own and deal with their internet issues on their own. It's not that we have internet issues very often, but a few times a month is more of a hassle than I want when I'm not making money on it.
If you share it, get a Wi-Fi router with Tomato or WW-DRT (whatever it's called) and limit bandwidth on each device so there's not one device hogging the network. Block torrents. Have good security. Expect tenants to whine.
in our student rentals we do and get great money, tv, (large screen), cable, internet, all utilities, maid service once a week. Parents love knowing everything is handled, rent per bedroom cheaper than the dorm and our roi is over 30%
Any chance someone can give an updated response to this initial question? The responses are over four years old! Times have changed!
This happened.
4 plex,, LL shared internet password with tenants. a tenant shared with a friend of a friend.. Next thing cops show up, confiscate all computers in the 4 plex, cameras, cell phones..
Kiddie porn was issue and it took several months before the cops were satisfied the landlord had nothing to do with it.. but stress, lawyer fees and grief all could have been avoided if the password and internet access was not shared.
Many great points are brought up in this post. My two cents I would contribute: It is ideal for a landlord to eliminate as many liabilities as possible. Here are a few scenarios I can see happening:
1. Tenants can do the stupidest things: As a utility management company, I deal with a lot of provider, including internet service providers (ISP). My most favorite emails to receive is "Hey, your internet service for so-and-so address was flagged for participating in illegal activities" for a property half way across the country. I've seen notices to properties from ISPs for noticing distribution of copyright materials (Movies, music, etc), to child pornography.
For example: Person does something illegal on internet. Law Enforcement gets involved traced back the home, and now the landlord's name is suspect # 1. Landlord can prove that they do not occupy the home by producing rental leases, but now they are involved, and it's just a massive inconvenience.
2. Tenants can do the stupidest things pt. 2: Some other users suggest that you provide a router, or other devices to distribute the internet the the rest of the home. This involves regular maintenance, updates, as well as physical security. You don't want someone to physically steal your router or modem, or to mess with the software. How about if they go into the firmware and void the warranty and break something? What if a tenant changes settings and makes it unreliable for a second tenant and you can no longer access it? How about if they install spyware, and infect other devices on the network? What if they steal credit card info from the other unit by tracking the traffic?
3. Neighbors can do the stupidest things: Neighbor Bob shows up and asks the tenant if they can have the internet password? Tenant thinks "sure, it's free internet, and Neighbor Bob is a good guy!" Neighbor Bob shares the password with 100 of his closest friends, they all come over, and download 100,000 gb of junk a month through your internet. Well, your internet provider has a cap of 1 tb (1,000 gb). You are now charged for the normal service, plus penalties for exceeding your usage. You are now responsible for paying the penalties for exceeding usage, AND you may have a bandwidth cap placed on the property and other accounts in your name.
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These are all hypothetical worst case scenarios and may not come to close to what is reality, but I would personally suggest that you not provide internet service, UNLESS you can stay on top of it, can provide regular maintenance, ensure security of your tenants, and can budget appropriately for possible consequences.
@Roy N. has the correct setup - - each tenant on their own subnet. If you allow all to access the same subnet, then any tenant can gain access to any other's equipment (aka breach file sharing) and ID Theft is a possibility. If YOU don't know how, buy a professional to set it for you.
There are lots of amenities that become marketing tools for the owner and having Internet today is just like having a stove and microwave oven.
I am very interested in this thread. My market is getting more competitive and providing cable TV and/or internet would be a cost effective upgrade for my 1970s era building. I imagine it would also help me attract a more affluent tenant pool.
Interesting thread.
What's the best way to deal with Internet for a landlord who lives with tenants? Specifically, I opened my condo up for rental, and the tenants' fees cover the mortgage.
Thing is, I can't not provide Internet because I also live here and I also need the Internet for my job. What's a good way for me to handle this? I use Spectrum, but they don't allow multiple accounts per unit, so I can't tell my renters to get their own.
Bump, anyone know where we can get a liabilty form saying no illegal activies will be tolerated, tennants responsible for everything yadda yadda yadda
Bump, anyone know where we can get a liabilty form saying no illegal activies will be tolerated, tennants responsible for everything yadda yadda yadda
Do you have a liability form saying no illegal activities with the electricity or any other utility?