Satellite Dish

So my neighbor just had a satellite dish installed..... right, smack, in the middle of the front of his house over the garage. I know you don't need an application but it's hardly "inconspicuous".

 

Isn't that the Virginia state flower?

 

I cannot believe that our HOA will allow satellite dishes right on the front of the home on Welby Terrace above the garage door. That is just so tacky looking and should be on the roof!!! I'm hoping that the dish will have to be moved to the roof.

 

I don't believe that the HOA has any say over the dish as long as it is on the house. Surprising as it may seem, the FCC has regulatory authority over this. See rule below.

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/over-air-reception-devices-rule

BTW I thought it was the West Virginia state flower?

 

Yes Scottb, but within the law you site is the following;
The rule allows local governments, community associations and landlords to enforce restrictions that do not impair the installation, maintenance or use of the types of antennas described above, as well as restrictions needed for safety or historic preservation. Under some circumstances where a central or common antenna is available, a community association or landlord may restrict the installation of individual antennas. The rule does not apply to common areas that are owned by a landlord, a community association, or jointly by condominium or cooperative owners where the antenna user does not have an exclusive use area. Such common areas may include the roof or exterior wall of a multiple dwelling unit. Therefore, restrictions on antennas installed in or on such common areas are enforceable. And therefore, it should be moved to the roof, just like almost every other dish in Broadlands.

 

Cool.

I was just responding to your statement that you could not believe the HOA would allow this, when it is an FCC issue -- But I am not a lawyer and did not even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

If your interpretation of the rule that governs this issue gets the HOA to compel the owner to move the dish then it is a win. Good luck.

 

I always considered a townhome to be a single-family home, and a residence like a condo or apartment to be a multiple dwelling unit. For example, if there is a problem with the roof of a townhome, does the HOA pay to fix it, or does the owner? In a condo, the HOA would pay for that. Can an owner of a townhome install a basketball hoop above their garage door is it's been approved by the HOA? Then why not a satellite dish if that's the only place they can get reception?

 

A townhouse is actually part of an association with a two volume book of bylaws that have the guidelines of what we as owners (which the people who put up the dish are not) have to follow as to what is and what is not allowed as to changes to our frontage. You just can't paint your door any color you want, you can't paint your trim any color you want, etc etc. As to reception question. The roof offers the same if not better reception facing the western sky, which is where every other dish is on the street is as well as neighboring streets. And as for a basketball hoop, I'm assuming that the HOA would also have to approve that thru the Covenant committee/Inspector, just as this dish should have been, and wasn't based on what the HOA the Inspector said today when she was on the street taking pictures of it today.

 

We have a townhouse rental on our street with 4 dishes on the roof - soon to be 5 since new tenants just moved in. They are clearly visible to the row of townhouses behind it and as much of an eyesore, but they are on the roof where they belong.

 

I didn't realize that the townhomes had a different set of bylaws than the rest of the single family homes in our neighborhood, sorry.

 

I went through this fight at a previous home in another state. You're absolutely right the FCC controls this and the HOA or landlord of your rental property cannot prevent you from installing a satellite dish. However, from that first sentence of the rule quoted above though, they MAY impose requirements on positioning, color (paint), or putting some sort of a screen or wall around it to hide it from sight to preserve the aesthetics of the community. Those requirements can't impede or delay the resident from installing the dish, but they can be required for the "look" of the community.

 

I live on the same street and I also can't believe they put this up. What an eye sore to the neighborhood. I hope the HOA can suggest (force) them to move the dish!

 

For those concerned about this dish, I suggest you contact the HOA with an exact address so the issue can be reviewed.

 

According to earlier posts, an HOA inspector has already been out there to take pictures.

 

Unfortunately more often than not this is due to lazy installers ... there are plenty of nice houses with horrible installs, coax running diagonally across roofs, etc.

 

And more often with winter installs!