Investor · Northern Kentucky | Northern Virginia · Member since 2022 · 45 posts · 39 votes
Happy Friday! I'm buying an MTR condo (our second investment!) with a current tenant and need some advice. The cable company needs us to switch out the modem/router equipment. Is it reasonable to ask the tenant to complete the self-install of the new equipment, or should I have someone else do it?
The cable company will have the equipment delivered, of course.
Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2y
As soon as you ask 'what could go wrong', something usually does. I hope that's not the case. Generally speaking, we don't ask our guests to do anything. Part of it is customer service. They're paying a premium for the space, we said cable or internet was provided and so it should be available to them before they move in. And while this install seems pretty straightforward, if it doesn't go as planned, your guest will have to deal with the cable company for trouble shooting. Usually that company is not going to talk to someone who is not on the account and can't provide a password. You do NOT want to give that guest your account password. It's just all messy. In the future, either make sure it's taken care of before they move in or have a trusted boots-on-the-ground team member who can take care of it for you.
Investor · Myrtle Beach, SC · Member since 2024 · 24 posts · 30 votes
2y
Hi Wes,
First of all, congratulations on your second investment property! This is huge, and you should be so proud.
I think it is dependent on your comfort level with the tenant. Is the tenant willing and wanting to do the install? I have some tenants that what distance from us as their landlords--they truly want to feel like this is their space, and thus they want to do everything on their own. However, they have also proved themselves to be trustworthy and responsible. In this case, if the tenant is trustworthy and willing to take it on, I think you can let them do it. If, however, this is a new tenant and you are unsure how you feel about them doing the install, I would have someone do it for you. Perhaps the cable company charges a small fee and can do it themselves? Sometimes the risk (self-install) outweighs the reward (saving money) especially if there is an unknown factor with the tenants ability to do the install.
Investor · Clairemont, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
2y
It depends on what's involved in the self install. If it is what I'm thinking where the box of equipment shows up and you just need to plug it in to the power and the existing cable/fiber/ethernet then yes that's a reasonable ask. If it involves any need to extend the line or relocate a connection etc, then no it's not reasonable and I'd expect to hire someone to do it...ideally the service provider's crew.
Investor · Northern Kentucky | Northern Virginia · Member since 2022 · 45 posts · 39 votes
2y
Thanks Devin! We closed on it today!!
And thanks Matt and Devin for the advice. Here's what I decided to do: I explained the situation to my new tenant and asked which option was better for her; self-install it for me, or have me send someone to do it. We are self-managing our MTRs and live 10 hours away, so it's a bit of a challenge for things like this.
She offered to do it herself, said it was no problem! The cable company said it's simply disconnecting the old equipment and connecting the new--what could go wrong? :)
Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
2y
As soon as you ask 'what could go wrong', something usually does. I hope that's not the case. Generally speaking, we don't ask our guests to do anything. Part of it is customer service. They're paying a premium for the space, we said cable or internet was provided and so it should be available to them before they move in. And while this install seems pretty straightforward, if it doesn't go as planned, your guest will have to deal with the cable company for trouble shooting. Usually that company is not going to talk to someone who is not on the account and can't provide a password. You do NOT want to give that guest your account password. It's just all messy. In the future, either make sure it's taken care of before they move in or have a trusted boots-on-the-ground team member who can take care of it for you.
Investor · Northern Kentucky | Northern Virginia · Member since 2022 · 45 posts · 39 votes
2y
Thanks, Bonnie, for your always informative advice. As it turns out, our tenant choose to handle it herself instead of us having someone else take care of it. She had moved in before we bought the condo, and the equipment change was required for the cable TV and internet service to continue as the prior owner would of course cancel their account after closing.
Our tenant efficiently switched the equipment and we added a Disney+ account to the cable service along with our thanks.