The Fear Factor: Tower companies continue to profit, often times at the expense of cell tower lease owners, by utilizing fear tactics. The tower companies lead property owners down the wrong path by telling them that they may be in jeopardy of losing their cell site. As a result, property owners impulsively sign undervalued lease agreements, without truly understanding what they may be forgoing as a result. If something within an agreement doesn’t seem “quite right,” trust your gut instinct.
- Follow The Money: Crown Castle recently acquired the rights to 9,700 cellular towers for $4.85 billion, averaging $500,000+ for each tower. American Tower outperformed Crown Castle, purchasing 11,000 towers for over $5.06 billion, with an average cost of $444,000 for each tower. Consequently, the acquisition of tens of thousands of cell towers is indicative of the reliance on the existing cell tower infrastructure for both the short and long term.
- The Big Picture: The tower industry is strong with each individual cell site having its own individual significant value to the tower companies. Take a step back to see the forest beyond the trees and ask yourself, “If the largest tower companies are spending billions of dollars for cell tower assets, why aren’t you collecting more rent each month?”. Your property is extremely valuable now and into the future. The rent you collect should reflect the value to the tower companies they receive as a result of their utilization of YOUR land, and not just the amount of square footage they occupy.
If you suspect you have been misinformed or feel that you are being underpaid by a cell tower company, our team wants to advocate and help secure the best lease agreement and the maximum amount of rent. In 2015, Vertical Consultants secured an average of 338% increased rental income for our clients.
Contact Vertical Consultants today to find out how to optimize your cell tower lease agreement and learn more about how current trends in the telecom industry may negatively impact your property in the future.
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