DIRECTV for your Apartment

DIRECTV has been branching out to many locations in recent years, far beyond just the proverbial suburban house. Now you can find DIRECTV in public bars, in restaurants, in hotels, college dorms and hospitals throughout the country, thanks to the company’s business packages. Additionally, the company also offers special mobile installations, such as DIRECTV Mobile that can be used inside cars, boats or recreational vehicles. The DIRECTV Airborne installation allows TV viewers to be entertained even aboard an aircraft!

However, despite all of these great scientific achievements, it is an odd fact that DIRECTV is still not available in every household. DIRECTV is available in 100% of all U.S. homes. However, this leaves the apartment complex population (as well as town home vacationers) in question. You may live in an apartment complex and wonder if you have the option of DIRECTV at all. Is it true that only homeowners have the privilege of ordering satellite television and that apartment dwellers are stuck with cable or analog TV?

It’s not necessarily true or untrue. It will largely depend on the apartment complex, the landlord and various technical factors. You don’t need a giant satellite dish, merely a small satellite that can be hooked up in your yard or patio. You have the ability to set up a satellite dish from your own condo or apartment, or the landlord can set up a DirecTV System for your entire building. You may think that just because your apartment brochure only offers the option of cable that satellite TV is out of the question. However, this may not be the case.

Try asking your landlord, property manager or homeowner’s association about the option of satellite TV. The first question will be if you can install a DIRECTV satellite system on your rooftop. If this is not possible then many residents have been allowed to keep a dish installed on a private patio or even a balcony. This is because satellite TV will only work if you as the homeowner or renter can have a clear view of the southern sky.

The law is on your side in this regard, as the Federal Communications Commission has ruled that local governments and homeowners associations cannot enforce “unreasonable restrictions” on satellite dishes that are one meter or smaller in size. However, you have to remember that the landlord has final say because the complex is his or her property.

He or she may feel that such an installation will require structural modifications that are impossible or problematic for their complex. Therefore, since you abide by the terms of your rental agreement, you may be restricted from ordering DIRECTV . Nevertheless, many apartment owners have allowed DIRECTV into their properties, especially considering the benefits this technology has over cable.

DirecTV usually asks that apartment leasers get written or verbal permission from their landlord, unless the rental lease agreement implies that permission is not needed. After getting this consent, you can present a permission form to the installed on the day of your satellite dish installation.

It never hurts to ask, and you may be surprised at how many apartments landlords are willing to bring DIRECTV into their homes.