Satellite dish-condo?

[sportman20]

If I purchase a condo in a active adult community, single story twin or cluster,can I put a dish on the roof of my home, or on the patio without getting flak from the builder and or condo association

[Nick]

Welcome to DBSTalk, Sportman. :hi:

Most likely not not on the roof, unless you can get a letter of permission from the condo association. Read the association rules first. Typically, with a condominium form of ownership, you own the interior of your unit and the association owns the exterior.

If the patio will be "under your exclusive and control" you can certainly mount a dish. However, in order to receive a signal, you will need a clear view of the southern sky.

For specific information on your rights under the FCC's SHVIA rules go here http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/satellite.html

BTW, what is your location?

[nova828]

Or you could do what I did (not on purpose)

Call your landlord and ask him to sign the permission form to mount the dish on your padio, and when that doesn't work because of trees blocking, the installer will no doubt mount the dish on the roof without telling you first, and once the dish is already installed it might as well stay there, it won't make any sense for the landlord to tell you to remove it, since the damage, which is not any damage at all really, just a few holes that no one can see, is already done whether the dish stays or goes. Thats what happened to me. So far the landlord has not contacted me on the issue, so I guess its ok....I really hope so now that Ive had cable disconnected

[Jasonbp]

I would try the patio first, I don't think that a association would complain about that. If that doesn't work, I would just put it on the roof.

In a condo community around here an owner did that and the association tried to take him to court over it. Never made it. You own it, you can do what you want to it.

[Bichon]

You own it, you can do what you want to it.

Not true. With a condo, you don't have fee-simple ownership of the roof over your unit. The roof is owned by a separate legal entity, the condo association and is technically a considered a "limited common element". While you do have a fractional financial interest in your association, your rights with respect to common elements and limited common elements are defined in the master deed, which generally places the authority to approve modifications to those common elements with the elected condo board. If you put the dish on the roof without their approval, they could make you remove it, pay to repair damage to the roof, and fine you.

If that sounds strange, look at it this way. You could own $50million dollars worth of Sears stock, but if you go into the store and remove a $100 drill without paying for it, they will call the police and have you arrested.

I don't know the details of why the case you cite didn't hold up in court. Must have been some unusual circumstance or technicality. Normally the courts consider the master deed a contract and fully enforce its provisions.

[PSB]

Get the permission first, its not fair letting the installer put it some place he/she will be libel for, its happened to me once or twice, just about to secure the dish and someone who has been watching the whole install runs over and says " I am ....... you cant put a dish there" I do not install unless I have written permission, in black and white, please think of the installer (as long as they are SBCA 1+2 certified and licensed, if not just blame them : ) )

[Nick]

Even my cable co wanted a written ok to run a new cable outlet along the outside wall. I already had it typed out and signed by the apt. mgr.