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Why Do I Need To Manage My Cell Tower Ground Lease?

At Terabonne, we understand how cell towers begin and evolve as technologies change and tower upgrades are required over time. We take advantage of this knowledge and negotiate leases with the anticipation of these opportunities to the benefit of our client property owners. Carrier and tower owners usually never volunteer new income possibilities. Understanding the engineering and terms of a lease allows Terabonne to negotiate and obtain continually increasing income for our clients over the life of any cell tower and rooftop lease. In all of Terabonne’s cell tower leases, we negotiate certain engineering terms which define the baseline of initial designs as well as monitor tower changes that warrant additional future income be directed to our clients. This service is automatically included in all cell tower leasing services negotiated by Terabonne without any additional cost to our clients.

My Lease Is Done and My Tower Is Built, Now What?

Wireless carriers build cell towers to the initial needs of the area. Since previous cell traffic was non-existent prior to your cell tower being built, initial radio count and antenna loading will be minimal to save capital costs. Over time, as surrounding traffic is optimized and load sharing causes your site to carry more cell traffic, it is crucial that your cell tower lease continues to be managed for greater financial rewards. Data shows passive property owners’ cell tower income is significantly lower than those who actively manage their cell tower leases. Our commercial clients understand this, which is why they retain Terabonne to manage their entire portfolio of properties nationwide. Private landlords can benefit from this practice with no additional expense or efforts because Terabonne manages it all.

Site Modifications And Additional Income

Terabonne manages thousands of properties nationwide and we see all the possible ways wireless carriers modify cell sites over the years. The majority of our property management time is dedicated to managing and negotiating cell tower site modifications to assure the engineering and lease terms are adhered to, and negotiate any additional income to the benefit of our clients. The remainder of our time is spent negotiating lease extensions and marketing our managed properties to wireless carriers and tower developers, bringing new cell tower leases to our clients’ locations. All facets of our work are deliberately intertwined to bring tremendous value to our clients.

Generator Adds And Additional Income

A common cell tower modification is the need for back-up power generator adds. In the past decade, wireless subscribers have relied on their cell phones and expect it to work in power outages and emergency situations. Whether it is hurricanes, earthquakes, or local traffic accidents, cell phones are expected to work through all disasters. To be competitive, wireless carriers must deliver the expected reliability. Additionally, AT&T’s federal contract to build the FirstNet infrastructure compels them to provide backup generators to specified towers. For this reason, it is important to understand the contractual obligations and opportunities surrounding generator adds, how they are engineered, and how to negotiate requests for installation to your benefit, as the property owner. Terabonne conducts well-managed property practices pertaining generator adds and compensation plans charged to wireless tenants.

Carrier Adds and Additional Income

Because you signed your cell tower ground lease agreement with the wireless carrier decades ago, there is a good chance that your lease does not reflect the terms necessary to protect your interest the way Terabonne negotiates cell tower leases today. For example, you leased your cell tower to one wireless carrier, but over the years, more antennas and equipment from other wireless carriers are installed on your property without any beneficial income to you. Having negotiated the cell tower lease without a full knowledge of how the wireless industry works and how you can benefit from negotiating your share of additional income at certain triggering events, you may have left significant financial opportunities on the table. All Terabonne clients benefit from our engineering, operations and leasing expertise resulting in substantially more income to our clients than anyone else can achieve.

Wireless Site Management

Wireless property management involves cell tower lease negotiations (extensions, new towers) and managing technological aspects of the sites. Site management requires experienced engineering resources to review, assess, and negotiate changes needed by wireless tenants. Changes, however, can and often do impact the commercial operations of the property. Terabonne frequently conducts structural engineering reviews to assure additional loading placed on our clients’ sites do not impose structural risks or consume excessive structural capacities. Our project managers oversee site modification application processes and our leasing managers review all site modification requests. Terabonne’s scope of work involves making sure all aspects of site work activities adhere to the terms of wireless leases with our clients. Our property management team is experienced and skilled with rooftop protection and repairs at no cost to our clients. In our experience, wireless tenants’ requirements change over time and Terabonne is here to facilitate the change reviews and secure the correct compensation for our clients.

Need Advice?

Let’s discuss your cell tower opportunity. We will share with you what we know about your cell tower ground lease. Never a fee until we agree to work together and we deliver all-inclusive results to your satisfaction. Unheard of assurance and confidence. Please email, call or send us a message anytime.